As some readers of the stuff I enjoy writing and sharing might have noticed, I employ a little ‘play on words’ whenever the opportunity present’s itself. I have no quarrel with the words themselves, but I just like to take advantage of the multiple meanings that even everyday ordinary common words have.

Specifically the words Diversity, Equality and Inclusiveness come to mind as they appear to mean very different things to a variety of people. It appears that we all have developed ‘filters’ in order to de-code the messages we are bombarded with all day long….and possibly even in our sleep at night too?

Without attacking those word themselves (I really have no particular problem with Diversity, Equality and/or Inclusiveness, trust me), I do enjoy playing around with the initials because they, all on their own, trigger the mind to think “I know what he’s really saying here” even though he did not expend the ‘ink’ to spell it out. We all ‘second-guess’ quite a lot.

So, let us see just what else these few letters can conjure up aside from the ‘common’ meaning that they were intended for. But first, may I offer this observation; WORDS themselves do not hurt you the way an ACTUAL physical weapon can hurt you. There is an extraordinary (infinitesimal?) chance that there will be blood involved from a collection of letters that form a word…aside from papercuts.

That is not to say that words cannot LEAD to bloodshed, as they too often do, but frankly, ink on paper is a legal weapon even allowed into courtrooms these days.

We also classify words and some are considered vulgar. FRICK is acceptable; F**K is not. Choose the wrong one and you are uncouth… or perhaps you are soon engaged in an activity that results in bloodshed?

With all this now perfectly clear in your mind now, I offer these versions of D, E and I for your consideration:

DINGBAT, EDITH and IN (as IN All IN the Family)…now that didn’t sting too much, did it? O.K., yes it actually did to some.

DRAGQUEEN, EXCLUDED and ISOLATED will surely offend some and surely not offend others. My guess is that it falls along the lines of ‘orientation’ or something like that?

DREAMER, EXTRAORDINARY and INNOVATIVE are considered nice words to ponder and most surely will offend few if any…who knows?

This wordplay could go on for quite a while, but practical considerations lead me to ‘cut to the chase’ and attempt to finally get to the point. (You just thought “about time” didn’t you?)

SO, with this in mind, the following application of the letters D, E and I should be of comfort to the multitudes that have shared my thoughts and have been patient so far on this fine day in the Winter of 2024.

DEVESTATION, such as the situation now being played out in the lands named Israel and Gaza, and Ukraine and Russia, and many other ‘hot spots’ of butchery around the world of today. It is uncomfortable to ponder what is happening in our present lifetime and many of us choose not to. The rest less fortunate of us cannot shake it off and just ignore these terrible events’

The EXCRUCIATING pain that many are EXPERIENCING at this EXACT moment in lands far away from our corner of the world…with EMPATHY, a shared EMOTION, but not the real pain that those suffering actually EXPERIENCE…so much for the E’s….

Last, but not least, the “I’s”….I offer this selection of words:

IGNORAMUSES; those who start the conflicts that result in those un-IMAGINEABLE circumstances that some of our fellow human beings are being subjected to…be they themselves the ones partly to blame or are the purely innocent victims of an INTOLLERABLE situation surrounding them that should have (could have?) been avoided, the never, ever, no-no, no-way, been allowed to happen and now it seems IMPOSSIBLE to end war.

I trust that this little rant (discussion?) of D. E. I. has offered the reader a new, fresh and stimulating outlook on today’s events

Just remember to DEPLOY your armies to DESTROY what you can, EVACUATE the innocent and EVAPORATE the rest, and join in the EFFORTS to END these kinds of EVENTS. Get yourself some INKPENS in order to jot down your IDEAS to END this madness…

Richard Phillips

New Iberia