I was taught in first grade by a Roman Catholic nun that the verb "be" is the most important word in the English language. Think about it: God is defined in the Judeo/Christian Bible as "I Am That I Am".
There are two major classes of verbs in the English language. Action verbs and verbs of being. There is only one verb of being: be. To lose this verb wld/will be (?) a concept/paradigm changer.