Going vs. Coming

Do we go home or do we come home? Which is the proper word to use? In this case, it feels like a distinction that's been lost. 

A simple way to think about them is when they are given as commands. When somebody tells you to go home, then you are being told to leave that person. When you're told to come home, the person is telling you to join them. 

It's easy to lose track of these terms because they are so similar. They both involve leaving the area you are and traveling to another.

I think another reason is that we end up using both words when talking about ourselves. For example, a person might say, "I'm going to go and come home." This is two thoughts. The "go" means leaving the area and the "come" means returning to a known place. 

Knowing the distinction between these two gives you another tool to use. It also makes you look smarter to those who know the difference.