Modern Speak

You hear them everyday ... At the end of the day ...I personally ... At this moment in time ... with all due respect ... 24/7 ... it's not rocket science ... your call is very important to us ... no offense, but ... in order to serve you better ... no problem ... please listen carefully as our menu options have changed ... our computers are slow today. These are just some of the many phrases which have become part of speaking today and I am getting tired of "modern day phrase speak" (although I guess I do it at times myself!). But there is one phrase which really drives me crazy - "Thinking outside the box". Today I have already heard it used two times, it was also in a book I am reading, and there is a guy running for governor of Pennsylvania who uses it constantly in his television campaign advertisements. I shudder every time I see him waddle across the TV screen sharing how it is time to "think outside the box" to solve the state's many problems. Actually I think he should "think outside the box" to come up with better commercials (and to lose some weight). Maybe that is the problem with today's society, everyone is "thinking outside the box" and neglecting all the common sense and moral values that have been "inside the box" for years. Now I really wonder, if everybody is really "thinking outside the box", isn't all this thinking and behavior really "inside a new box". What's the difference - maybe it just depends on what the box is (whatever that means). Maybe this candidate should say that he "thinks outside the box" but he really is "inside the new box of modern thinking". At the end of the day, with all due respect, I personally think, at this moment in time, this might be more appropriate. In order to serve us better, thinking outside the box, 24/7, might be better, even if the menu has changed. But, no problem if you feel otherwise, because it's not rocket science. And that folks is my "outside the box" blog for today. Think about it, either inside or outside the box.