Words ought to be a little wild, for they are the assault of thought on the unthinking. (J.M. Keynes)

A lot of the time when writing in a business and government context we are not wild. We write to control and maintain good governance.

But there are times when we don’t need polite exchange but rather we need a spark, a provocation, a way to jolt the mind from the comfortable silence of the status quo. There are times when we need to change thinking, or introduce a new direction.

We don’t want words to be mere placeholders, echoes of what has already been said. Sometimes our writing needs to be sharp, unexpected, even disruptive so that we can help our readers see the world in a new way.

Strong ideas often require wild words to fight against complacency and against the quiet surrender of thought.