I never thought the English language, per se, would be a great teacher of philosophy. Perhaps I was wrong.
I was watching a video (click on this to link to the video) by Phuc Tran on the subjunctive use in the English language. He makes several interesting points – some of which I am still working through. Here are some of the thoughts that I wandered away with!
There is a dark side to the subjunctive – that use of English which lets you think about what could happened. On the far side of that is what should have happened, what we wish would have happened. We become guilty and depressed. Accepting things for what they are – the indicativeness of our lives (indicated by the indicative in the English language) – is the first step to overcoming depression and anxiety.
We can be creative or mired in regret when we live in the subjunctive. The indicative does not allow us to imagine at all, but it does allow us to talk about ourselves and our experiences in real terms.