…..in the English language (and its subsequent foreign equivalents) is the word ‘should’, as exhibited in the photo above.

It’s a very bossy word – I mean, look at its definition. ‘Must’, ‘shall’, and ‘ought’ are used to describe the underlining meaning of the word, so how can it not be bossy?  It’s the kind of word that tends to shut one person down and give an illusory authority to another.  This word has a tendency to make me tune out, so I can only imagine how it might sound to someone else.

Which is why, when that Particular Word is about to pass forth from my lips, I always preface my comment with, “I really hate the word ‘should’, because it sounds like my idea is the only one, but maybe you should try (fill in the blank).”

And I always cringe over That Word, because it is so bossy and know-it-all.

And who wants to come across as that?

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