The Tyranny of Spell Check

English is a living language.  That means that it’s constantly evolving and growing.  New words are added and new phrases get coined every year.

Unfortunately we live in the age of auto correct and spell check.  The second any of us deviates from the prescribed norm we’re reminded with a red underline or a “correct” word suggestion.

The subtle effect of all this is a fostering of a rigid view of language, as well as life.  We become chained to the routine and inevitably fall into ruts since we’ve been trained to immediately self-censor anything new, fresh, or original the instant we create it.

Obviously, I am not suggesting that we need a wave of misspellings to flood our world.  We must, however, allow space for people to create new words, new phrases, and new thoughts.  New things are only discovered or created when we deviate from the known paths.

As this year starts, challenge yourself to ignore your internal spell check and create new things.  Ignore the need to fall into line.  Ignore the little red underline that pops up in your head when you want to take a new path – a path that none of your friends have taken before.

Create something new.  Write.  Dream.  Draw.  Ignore the spell check because it only knows what has been and not what is yet to be.