COMMITMENT? FEH! Or, An Oration In Praise Of Adoration
by Andrew Williams

Ladies and gentlepeoples of the reading audience: Commitment, as my title
indicates, is a word that calls to my mind the cognitive equivalents of
grinding teeth and fingernails-on-chalkboard. It has the qualities of what
a certain Monty Python character would call a 'tinny' word. In my learned
opinion, it lacks resonance, brio, elan. And its seemingly criminal
overuse in contemporary American semantic environments has only
exacerbated its harshness. But fear not, dear readers! I have just the
solution for this communications quandary! (Now if I could just solve this
world peace bugaboo as easily....)

What is needed here are (anent Msr. Python again) are 'woody' words. Words
with grain. Words which are rich and supple, like a great moselle or
merlot. Words which please our palates and ease our cares. As
replacementments par excellence for the (shudder) c-word, I hereby
nominate the Castor and Pollux of the English lexicon: adoration and
devotion.

Henry Miller waxed eloquent for the former in his nomination speech, given
40 years ago: "There is no adoration for women. Now there's another word I
would like to emphasize--adoration! Where do we have any adoration today
in our talk about women and sex? I believe in adoration, not only in
relation to women, but in relation to men as well, where the man above you
is someone you adore and admire and want to emulate, the adoration for a
master."

But no need to accept our argument uncritically, dearest reader. Test it
for yourselves. Instead of saying, "I commit to you," perhaps "I adore
you" or "I am devoted to you." Instead of "I commit myself to this
marriage," one could say instead "I devote myself to your happiness and to
making our marriage a loving one." It flows, it sings, it soars! It makes
music, not noise. And it works for work, as well. Par example, "I'm
devoted to this task" speaks highly of your liking or love for your
endeavor, whereas "I'm committed to this task" is dull grey, and bespeaks
resignation, lack of choice.

Yes, of course, I admit that all of life's tasks are easily embraced.
Undoubtedly, 'twould be easier to find a needle in a cyclotron than a
hapless soul who admits to liking or loving the filing of tax returns. Or
undergoing root canal. That is why, dear readers, these tasks are regarded
as obligations or necessary evils. But that is not sufficient grounds to
look at even the grimmest tasks as Hadean. It only shows lack of creative
imagination and evolution. Who we are originates from the twining of our
actions and our methods.

The greatest spiritual teachers have informed us that the doing of the
hardest and/or dirtiest work with glad heart and willing hands reduces the
emotional and mental load on body, mind and spirit. Perhaps that is why
Christ said unto his followers, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's;" he
was far too polite to say, "Let Baby have his bottle." (Then again, Christ
was not usually this tactful, although he did advise his disciples to "be
as gentle as doves and as subtle as serpents.")

In summation, I submit to you, the reading audience in toto, that the word
commitment is overused, overly harsh, and far, far too tinny. In its
place, I most highly recommend those most excellent and poetic words
adoration and devotion. Even the words relationship and resolve have
significantly greater flexibility and sympathetic emotional resonance than
the c-word. I would also suggest that current and future generations will
thank you for reintroducing these kinder, gentler words into private and
public discourse.

I rest my case.

Copyright 2004 by Andrew Williams. Free to forward with attribution.