Language is commerce between people.  We communicate, exchange goods and ideas and generally get along together knowing what the other wants and, in exchange, they know what we want.  It is not only the wanting - it is being sociable.  But, there are two parts in employing language in the daily business of dealing with people.  The first is being forth-coming while the second is coming forth.

I have thought this through and, of course, I relate this to myself and my idiosyncrasies.  I am taking forth-coming to mean being “ready or available” in the sense of being helpful. Carrying this a bit further it means being “frank and cooperative” and “responsive”.  I see this as being honest as one can be – avoiding behavior that hides true intent.

Coming forth is a bit different.  We have very many ways of expressing our intentions and not all of these deal with truth.  We tend to hide a great  many things we think about, intend to do and bury those things we are ashamed of and do not want around to remind us of how low and hateful we can be at times.  I think of coming forth as being able to drop what you are doing for yourself and stand up for others and go forth as to battle the forces of selfishness and power grabbing in the most egregious manner.  Some people are targets because they are so bad that not to go forth and stand up against them – well, what does that say about you?

In business dealing, the commerce that goes on when our pockets jingle with the coin of the realm or our plastic cards are valid, we look for things we want and things we do not necessarily need.  The want and need thing is crucial here.  We want a lot more than we need.  In fact, if we were forth-coming we would honestly say that we need very little and what we want soon pales in its attraction and we forget about it while something new and glittery catches our attention.

What is most important to the core of honesty and being ready, available and helpful to our fellow humans, is that we are true, do not obfuscate and can be relied upon to help others rather than exclusively think only of ourselves.  I like myself better in this mode than the one in which only that which pleases me about satisfying my needs is uppermost in my mind.  I think I am being a little preachy here. Those people who live among us who are forth-coming and really do come forth when called upon either from the outside or from their own inner core of consciousness are who must be admired.  I would also hope they would be emulated.

Forth-coming is good but coming forth when a stand is needed is better.