Have fun!

Do you get a lot of people who say “Have fun!” when they mean “goodbye”? I’ve been hearing a few lately, and it’s making me think.

‘Goodbye’ derives from ‘God be with ye‘. People invoked God’s blessing upon someone when departing, almost like a ritual. What’s our sacrament today? Have fun! Is having fun the highest good to which we as a society can aspire?

The linguist in me steps in and says don’t be silly. When someone says something, they don’t even think of the words that the expression derives from. ‘Goodbye’ became a ritualised conversation-ender, like ‘Have fun’ is now. We do the same thing with “How are you?” The literal meaning has been subsumed in the ritual act of greeting.

And yet… cultural values are transmitted in just these kinds of rituals. Millions of times a day, people choose this kind of good-bye instead of some other kind of good-bye, and there’s a reason for it. It expresses, for better or worse, what we treasure.