This is just for readers. This article will exclude the audio book crowd but don’t let that worry you. They aren’t readers so they don’t know they’re being left out.

You know how you sometimes you get annoyed with me for constantly harping about ‘deconstruction?’ You roll your eyes and shake your head and say stuff like, “Geez, John. You’re overreacting. It’s not a big deal to say listening to an audio book is the same as reading a book.”

Well, let me humbly suggest that, eye rolling and head shaking aside, you actually agree that deconstruction is a big deal. You admitted it when you told me I’m overreacting.

I will explain.

In order for me to receive your message, I MUST understand what it means to ‘overreact.’ If we have different definitions of that word, we can’t use it to communicate with each other. You’re intending to tell me that I’m freaking out about a trivial thing. I comprehend your statement because we BOTH know what ‘overreacting’ means.

And we both know what ‘reading’ means too. We know reading doesn’t mean, “Listening to a recording of another person reading.” We both know that an ‘audio book’ is not really a ‘book’ and telling me that those words are ‘not a big deal’ relies on me making a ‘big deal’ of all the words you spoke. Words represent thoughts and what a person thinks matters a lot.

Finally, the word ‘demeaning’ has a definition and saying an audio book is not a book does not fit the definition of ‘demeaning.’ It’s not ‘demeaning’ to say a skateboard is not a duck. It’s just the truth. Speaking truth is always the morally superior option.

Defending truth is certainly not overreacting. We agree about that and hopefully you’ll admit it from now on.

(Isaiah 5:20) Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.