The loss of 'one'.

This morning I was having an argument with someone in my head. Do you ever do that? It's kind of a useless exercise but my brain was doing its floating thing and sometimes that brings good ideas to the surface. So today I was imagining myself telling this particular person, 'You can't think like that'.

Uh oh. In today's world, you can't say those sorts of things. At least, I'd be very hesitant. But what to do? I thought how much better it would be if I could say 'one' instead, as in 'One can't think like that'. Less personal, so maybe more acceptable.

It strikes me that generally, everything has to be more personal these days. Maybe that has something to do with individuality (?) In any case, we are losing the use of 'one', even though this usage can sometimes be found in articles or essays that originate in England.

I find this a bit of a pity. But I need to keep up with the times, especially as a writer of fiction. And here the increase in the personal is marked. Writing advice encourages us to use what's known as 'third person deep point of view'. This means that everything is filtered through the eyes and experience of the main character. The reader very quickly engages, which is the big advantage.

I suppose we all have our natural perspective, for some of us closer than others. Mine, I have to confess, has always been somewhat distanced and that makes it difficult for me to write in this most modern way. I find it easier to use first person, but I'm trying to learn the technique. Luckily, although I might have thought about saying 'one', it never enters my head to actually do so!