The wings of words
Language is magical. One word or even a certain inflection can trigger a host of memories in my mind which then can open the memory box which contains many words, sounds, thoughts, smells, tastes and emotions. As soon as that box is open the contents begins to issue orders to the rest of the body based on the messages or rules associated with each aspect of the memory. Orders may vary from “Move your lips to a smile.” to “Send lead weights to the legs and feet.” to “Start up the engine of indigestion.” to “Skip as if one was a young child.”
Words such as should, need, must, ought may be heard from the part of the mind which houses the 13-year-old rebellious child. They may also he heard as moral imperatives. If one is not able to follow these orders, the body may trigger other messages such as “You are hopeless. You are a bad person. You do not deserve to be loved.”
Words can be heard by another part of one’s brain, by another person or a host of persons. If we are telling ourselves that “I must get this chore done even though my energy budget is depleted and even though I will probably get crappy with my family or co-workers.” then that one word sets up a chain of events with may have negative repercussions which last for a long time.
Sometimes we have internal shortcuts to orders to our brain. Those shortcuts may morph into a feeling to which we do not consciously attach a word.
Previous to this sentence I have written 278 words. Each of those words has a mission. Sometimes the mission is to simply act as a bridge or give direction. Sometimes what I intended as the mission gets hijacked by some memory chip in the mind of the reader.
Often I am the initiator, listener, and the one who decides whether to act on the basis of old messages/rules or to override and begins to build a new memory chip.
While I certainly do not want to analyze every word which originates in or enters my brain, I do want to be more circumspect in the wings, which I assign to words. In other words, I want to be as clear as humanly possible about my intentions while being aware of what wounds my words my open for potential listeners. If my intention is to lovingly work with someone as a romantic, business or community partner than the wings of my words first need to touch a heart. If my intention is to manipulate I will use heart shaped wings to mask the daggers I have secreted beneath the wings. If my intention is to tickle the mind I want the wings to invite in a light, playful manner. If my intent is to soothe I will spread my wings in an arch, which will entwine the soul.
Above all I want to embrace the power of words and avoid my habit of throwing them as if I were playing jacks and merely had to bounce a little ball to pick them back up without any possibility of them injuring another.
Written January 30, 2018
Language is magical. One word or even a certain inflection can trigger a host of memories in my mind which then can open the memory box which contains many words, sounds, thoughts, smells, tastes and emotions. As soon as that box is open the contents begins to issue orders to the rest of the body based on the messages or rules associated with each aspect of the memory. Orders may vary from “Move your lips to a smile.” to “Send lead weights to the legs and feet.” to “Start up the engine of indigestion.” to “Skip as if one was a young child.”
Words such as should, need, must, ought may be heard from the part of the mind which houses the 13-year-old rebellious child. They may also he heard as moral imperatives. If one is not able to follow these orders, the body may trigger other messages such as “You are hopeless. You are a bad person. You do not deserve to be loved.”
Words can be heard by another part of one’s brain, by another person or a host of persons. If we are telling ourselves that “I must get this chore done even though my energy budget is depleted and even though I will probably get crappy with my family or co-workers.” then that one word sets up a chain of events with may have negative repercussions which last for a long time.
Sometimes we have internal shortcuts to orders to our brain. Those shortcuts may morph into a feeling to which we do not consciously attach a word.
Previous to this sentence I have written 278 words. Each of those words has a mission. Sometimes the mission is to simply act as a bridge or give direction. Sometimes what I intended as the mission gets hijacked by some memory chip in the mind of the reader.
Often I am the initiator, listener, and the one who decides whether to act on the basis of old messages/rules or to override and begins to build a new memory chip.
While I certainly do not want to analyze every word which originates in or enters my brain, I do want to be more circumspect in the wings, which I assign to words. In other words, I want to be as clear as humanly possible about my intentions while being aware of what wounds my words my open for potential listeners. If my intention is to lovingly work with someone as a romantic, business or community partner than the wings of my words first need to touch a heart. If my intention is to manipulate I will use heart shaped wings to mask the daggers I have secreted beneath the wings. If my intention is to tickle the mind I want the wings to invite in a light, playful manner. If my intent is to soothe I will spread my wings in an arch, which will entwine the soul.
Above all I want to embrace the power of words and avoid my habit of throwing them as if I were playing jacks and merely had to bounce a little ball to pick them back up without any possibility of them injuring another.
Written January 30, 2018
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