Language is an ocean we swim in and our speech shapes our perception

Is saying, “Hey, it’s all good,” a cop out? An expression of denial? A desperate desire to smooth over problems and bring harmony to a crisis? A way to avoid having to explain something when we rather sit with the silence of self-knowing?

Usually we use “It’s all good” as a way of calming someone else who is worried about something going wrong or bad, to let them know it’s all OK, things are not as bad as they seem, things will get better. It’s similar to saying, “It’s a blessing in disguise,” or “new opportunities open in the midst of loss and hard times.” So it’s all good.

Except it is not all good in the middle of wars, massacres, rapes, beheadings, torture, and other violent crime. Or in nonviolent crimes such as extortion and corruption. Continue reading →