This morning I realized that somewhere in my adult years, I’ve allowed myself to be silenced, to some extent, by Word Burners.

Word Burners are today’s arbiters of acceptable speech and thought. Should you utter an opposing idea, you are summarily shamed on the internet, deprived of your livelihood, or worse.

Word burners burn words, and then ultimately books, and finally, people. Reflect on the history of the human race, and attempt to dispute that fact. You can not.

Word Burners replace words with single letters because the words are imbued with too much negative association ever to be uttered. They have either never read Fahrenheit 451, Gulag Archipelago, Animal Farm, Brave New World, 1984, or have found them so comprehensively “dangerous” that they eschew discussion of the themes therein. Or, proving Orwell right, redefine the meaning of each and every one. Word Burners are usually the first people to throw around the word ‘Fascist’, ‘Stupid’ or ‘Evil’. Which, if it didn’t have such a chilling effect, would be laughable.

Word Burners believe Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn simply didn’t understand Totalitarianism.

Our character defines us, not the words people use to describe us. Allow reason to bring your emotions in line to serve you, and not rule you, and you will be free. Free to question the collective, to express yourself. To revel in the joy of an examined thought-life.

No one can define you but you, and that is what Word Burners fear.