In case you want some relief from earth-shaking considerations, I offer:I just got off the phone with a man who, when I thanked him for his help, said, "No problem." I find that many people in the younger generations use this phrase instead of "Youre welcome." Can anyone tell me when and where this phrase originated, and maybe why, too?And speaking of problems, I also find the word "issues" being used where I once would have expected "problems." E.g., I would have said, "Susie Q has problems"; but now people, it seems, would say, "She has issues." Ive asked people who prefer the latter what the difference is between "issues" and "problems", but Ive received contradictory explanations.

Rev. Joseph A. Komonchak, professor emeritus of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America, is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of New York.

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