Sunday, May 18, 2014

Thoughts on "Oh my G..."

I wonder if the world could be neatly categorized into three groups.

Those who say...

1. "Oh my God"  =  soul in peril

2. "Oh my Gosh"  =  living on the edge

3. "Oh my Goodness"  =  safely in the fold

Ha. Kidding.

But really, for a while now, my "goodness"es have been feeling like cheap fillers for what was clearly established as a way to take God's name in vain.

I wonder how "Oh my Goodness" came to be. Was it simply a matter of stashing a few extra letters into the original to provide a "safe" alternative that packs the same punch?

I remember long ago in sixth grade, my dorm mom at boarding school addressed this.It left such an impression that I remember evening devotional to this day.

So, I don't know what to do with these thoughts, but for starters, I'm trying to decrease my use of this filler phrase, and give pause to study the feeling I really want to express when it haphazardly pops out of my mouth.

Maybe there is a truly useful mode of expression, not yet discovered, that is waiting to claim its rightful position in the absence of "Oh my Goodness".

2 comments:

  1. Well, I can tell you what not to substitute: My daughters heard me say "Holy cow!" the other night and asked about it. E.m.b.a.r.r.a.s.s.e.d. - !! I admitted that I don't know why I say it and would like to stop, since it's not at all what I mean. They suggested that I just say "Wow!" instead. But sometimes, "wow" feels a little, um, flat. So be sure to let me know what useful expression you unearth - I'll be first in line to use it with you!! :)

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  2. Ha! That's nice of them to offer suggestions! Still haven't thought of anything. Temporarily using "Oh my!"

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