I noticed a quote on someone’s desk recently that really struck me, so much so I looked it up when I got home:
We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voice — that is, until we have stopped saying ”It got lost,” and say, ”I lost it.”
Sidney J. Harris
I have a nasty habit of using the passive voice when I write, but I’d like to think that’s not characteristic of how I live. I’ve been self-employed for about ten years, but up until this year, I’ve managed to avoid one of the most important trappings of adulthood: insurance. We bought life insurance earlier this year, and now I’m shopping around for short term disability insurance. This is the sort of thing I used to rely on an employer to provide, and have been taking a risk going without. It would be nice, if I finally have to have carpal tunnel surgery or get sick, not to have to deal with unpaid bills while I recover. That quote isn’t a bad way of assessing situations – am I being passive or active here? And moving from the passive voice – getting sick and asking help from some outside force like the government or charity which may or may not provide it, to the active voice – utilizing a benefit for which I’ve paid, definitely feels like a step in the right direction.
