Do you remember playing the game "telephone" in elementary or middle school? You know... where all your friends sit in a circle and one of you whispers something in the ear of the person closest, that person whispers it to the person next to them, so on and so on until it get's back to the first child. Good times, no? Well the words we use in the real world are like that. What I say (or more correctly, what I mean) will be twisted and deformed by those around me.
No, it's not cruel, and no it's not horrible. It's life.
For instance... if I say the word.... "emu", what is the first thing that comes to mind? For me, I think of my cousin and a green leafy vegetable called kale. Strange yes, but my thoughts dictate how I use the word, and how I associate it with other words. You probably don't think of my cousin when you hear the word emu and you most definitely don't think of green leafy vegetables. Whatever thoughts you associate with emus will affect how you think of the word, and how you process any sentence that contains that word.
(I apologize for the poor analogy, but bear with me. I am tired and emu was the best I could think of)
Words are meant to be bent. Words change meaning depending on who hears them and how the speaker says them. Tone is everything you know. My mum always says "it's not what you say but how you say it". My words, when interpreted by you, take on new meaning and representation. My words are no longer just my own. They no longer are just my fabrication. They consume your interpretation and perspective and turn into a new creation.
Beautiful? Astounding? Frightening? Yes. It is.
Words that don't just mean what you think they do. Words that collect new meanings like a wet dog collects dirt, or a fat kid collects candy. Well... actually skinny kids collect candy too so never mind.
Isn't is sort of frightening that words change depending on who we tell them to? When I say something (most of the time) I have a distinct meaning in mind. When you hear my words, your brain hears what I say, but you interpret it as something different than what I originally meant. Mind blowing! Basically, nothing that I say can ever truly be understood by another human being. To understand what I truly mean when I say something, someone would have to know every single circumstance of my life, every single thought, and every single part that made my brain work, and have their brain work in the exact same way.
WOW! That is quite complicated. It does explain why clear communication is such a difficult thing to obtain. We use the word empathy to describe seeing a situation through a specific person's eyes. Is it even possible for us to ever be truly empathetic? I wonder...
Words are beautiful. They can cause us to yearn for greater things, or to sink in to depths. Words offend, words compliment. Words express and words cover up. Words are complicated and simple. Words words words.
Vapid for instance is a wonderful word. It means dreadfully boring and dull but it sounds quite fancy smancy and complimentary. Logodaedaly is the art of playing with words. Now that is a marvelous word my friends. That is a word of wonders.
Words change meaning and the same words can have different meanings. Night, knight, know, no, steel, steal, meat, meet, so many possibilities for confusion. Words are the beautiful threads by which humanity communicates. Words are confusing and complicated and absolutely marvelous. Don't let a world where words have possibilities unimagined by us poor simple humans scare you. Choose your words carefully and never say anything you'll later regret. Live live to the fullest potential. Study your dictionary and than throw it out and create your own words where only you know the real meaning. Delight in words and delight in life.
p.s. Omphaloskepsis
teheheh. it means meditation on one's bellybutton! now that's a word!
No, it's not cruel, and no it's not horrible. It's life.
For instance... if I say the word.... "emu", what is the first thing that comes to mind? For me, I think of my cousin and a green leafy vegetable called kale. Strange yes, but my thoughts dictate how I use the word, and how I associate it with other words. You probably don't think of my cousin when you hear the word emu and you most definitely don't think of green leafy vegetables. Whatever thoughts you associate with emus will affect how you think of the word, and how you process any sentence that contains that word.
(I apologize for the poor analogy, but bear with me. I am tired and emu was the best I could think of)
Words are meant to be bent. Words change meaning depending on who hears them and how the speaker says them. Tone is everything you know. My mum always says "it's not what you say but how you say it". My words, when interpreted by you, take on new meaning and representation. My words are no longer just my own. They no longer are just my fabrication. They consume your interpretation and perspective and turn into a new creation.
Beautiful? Astounding? Frightening? Yes. It is.
Words that don't just mean what you think they do. Words that collect new meanings like a wet dog collects dirt, or a fat kid collects candy. Well... actually skinny kids collect candy too so never mind.
Isn't is sort of frightening that words change depending on who we tell them to? When I say something (most of the time) I have a distinct meaning in mind. When you hear my words, your brain hears what I say, but you interpret it as something different than what I originally meant. Mind blowing! Basically, nothing that I say can ever truly be understood by another human being. To understand what I truly mean when I say something, someone would have to know every single circumstance of my life, every single thought, and every single part that made my brain work, and have their brain work in the exact same way.
WOW! That is quite complicated. It does explain why clear communication is such a difficult thing to obtain. We use the word empathy to describe seeing a situation through a specific person's eyes. Is it even possible for us to ever be truly empathetic? I wonder...
Words are beautiful. They can cause us to yearn for greater things, or to sink in to depths. Words offend, words compliment. Words express and words cover up. Words are complicated and simple. Words words words.
Vapid for instance is a wonderful word. It means dreadfully boring and dull but it sounds quite fancy smancy and complimentary. Logodaedaly is the art of playing with words. Now that is a marvelous word my friends. That is a word of wonders.
Words change meaning and the same words can have different meanings. Night, knight, know, no, steel, steal, meat, meet, so many possibilities for confusion. Words are the beautiful threads by which humanity communicates. Words are confusing and complicated and absolutely marvelous. Don't let a world where words have possibilities unimagined by us poor simple humans scare you. Choose your words carefully and never say anything you'll later regret. Live live to the fullest potential. Study your dictionary and than throw it out and create your own words where only you know the real meaning. Delight in words and delight in life.
p.s. Omphaloskepsis
teheheh. it means meditation on one's bellybutton! now that's a word!
"There is no such thing as a life with no regrets. However, regrets can become either burdens that interfere with your present happiness and restrict your future, or motivation to move forward."
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