Adam Speak

I recently watched the film, Adam, which portrays the life of a young man with Augsberger’s Syndrome who cannot lie. Because of Adam’s attention to detail slows productivity, his boss decides to fire him.

“I have to let you go,” the boss says euphemistically. “But I don’t want to go,” responds Adam.

Similarly, I’ve heard “May I help you?” when what was meant was, “I am suspicious of you,” and “I’ll let you go” when what was meant was “I am ready to go.” As my June spiritual practice, I’ll attend more closely to when I am saying one thing and meaning another; when I employ language to make things easier on myself at the expense of another. I will try to be more like Adam.

What are your language practices?