From time to time, I encounter neologisms in the news.  Most often, these words come from the world of business management.  A common business neologism is “learnings.”  In Standard English, the word “learnings” does not exist because gerunds have no plural cases.  In corporate business language, however, “learnings” refers to data learned.  Standard English has a perfectly good word for the information one learns through experience or instruction; the word is “lessons.” 

Recently, I read an article that quoted an individual who addressed the related issues of product development and promotions. He said, “You can use these solves to develop new products, but only if people want to buy them.” The word “solve” exists in English; it is a verb and, although there is a noun derived from the same root as “solve,” the noun is not “solves.” The solution that the speaker was struggling to identify was “solutions.” 

These neologisms from the language of business leadership border on illiteracy, but they serve a valuable function for corporations; they instill and support a particular corporate culture.  If I had to guess about the culture supported by “learnings,” I would guess that the corporation wants to appear non-directive by allowing employees to learn new data at their own pace and in their own ways.  The only guess I can make about “solves” is that the speaker didn’t pay attention in English grammar classes. 

Language often has the function of expressing and supporting a particular culture.  An example of this can be seen in today’s first reading.  Speaking on God’s behalf, the prophet Ezekiel proclaimed, “You say, ’The Lord’s way is not fair!’  Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair? Are not your ways unfair?” (Ez 18:25) 

“That’s not fair!” is a common refrain repeated by tired toddlers, jealous school children, indignant teenagers, and disgruntled adults.  In today’s passage from Ezekiel, the phrase is a complaint by the residents of Judah and Jerusalem because they were besieged by the Babylonian Empire and soon to be carried off as exiles and slaves.  The people claimed that they were facing an unfair fate.  They thought they deserved better than they were receiving from the hands of God.   

God was quick to respond that the People’s plight was entirely of their own making.  They had abandoned faith in God; their current lack of divine protection was the result of their rejection of God’s will.  God had simple, straightforward expectations of God’s People.  The People were to be faithful to the Covenant by showing mercy to one another and giving God the single-hearted worship God deserves.  Instead of following God’s commands, the People chose to worship false gods and to treat one another with dishonesty.  Their complaint about unfairness was based on their belief that each person should be allowed to do what she or he wanted with no moral or religious restrictions.  The complaint, “That’s not fair!” expressed and supported a culture of irresponsibility. 

It ought to be easy to grasp the significance of the People’s complaint about perceived unfairness.  Our culture today, both in secular society and in the Church, is a culture of self-concern that recognizes no boundaries or restrictions.  In our culture, we talk often about responsibility, but our talk serves the purpose of keeping responsibility at a safe distance.  This self-deception is precisely why Ezekiel challenged the People by asking rhetorically, “Are not your ways unfair?” (Ez 18:25) 

Fairness, justice, responsibility, and similar ideas are reduced to being nonsense when they are defined in terms of what one thinks society owes to oneself.  In fact, there is very little social nature left in a society in which each individual seeks her or his personal satisfaction to the exclusion of all else. 

For us, it’s very counter-cultural to define fairness as giving God what we owe God and giving to one another what we owe one another.  For God, on the other hand, this is the only resolution for the failings and inadequacies of human nature.  It is only when we turn our attention away from self and toward others that society is strong enough to tend to the needs of all its members.   

What is fairness?  Fairness is paying our lifelong debt of responsibility to God and society, which are the sources that create and sustain us.