"It is much easier to kill them if we can't understand them. We might begin to like and empathize with them if we do." That was the opinion of three quarters of an adult college class when faced with the awareness of their deficient linguistic survival skills. They are willing to forego self-preservation for the sake of warfare and annihilation of people that are "different." Pressing reasons for looking into our world language needs and competencies have risen, but we prefer to bury our heads in the sand while ironically ofttimes entrusting the task of comprehending the outside world with our enemies. It is no wonder, on one hand, that paranoia ensues, for it becomes necessary to resort to dubious helpers in order to survive in hostile environments without the basic local linguistic skills; on the other hand, the author firmly asserts that the world would be a much better place if we became cognizant that we are one species imbued with the same universal feelings and needs. Languages and cultures only constitute a smoke screen. The reader will take a linguistic tour with the author as he shares experiences and opinions on our own language experiences and other cultures.
