“The privilege and responsibility of our words.” Welcome to day 15 of the words for myself challenge. 39 days of wisdom I want to apply in my life. Let me know if these words resonate for you too, and if not, what words you might say to yourself today to make a difference?
Today’s words for myself have been inspired by a kind supporter of my work whose comments gave me some additional reflection on my recent work. We need to be mindful that our skill as a communicator is perhaps not in what we speak, but in how others understand it. How many times in life have you realised that you were trying to say one thing, but that others received the information in a totally different way and with poor outcome.
A skilled communicator will help as many people as possible achieve a clear understanding of what they are trying to convey. In this, the simpler and more universal the language the better.
On the other side of the language fence, words are the tools that we use to try and explain the experience of the world and our place within it to ourselves and to others. The words never really match the experience, can you for example explain the fullness of the sunrise, or of your love for another? You invariably find the words lack somewhere but we all do our best with the tools we have, and we admire the artists who are able to capture the aspects of experience more richly than the literal word alone. The richness of our language helps us articulate the richness of our world and our experience. The more words we understand and are happy to use the more accurately we can describe and perhaps understand, our experience.
The problem is language has been used to belittle us. We have all felt stupid at some point or another by someone using words we simply don’t understand, or someone takes great joy in pointing out our misuse of a term we thought we understood but perhaps didn’t. But those that would seek to find dominance and victory over others in their flexibility of language shows the weakness in their hearts and character not the weakness if your heart or character of those they are seeking to torment.
We should all try and communicate clearly and fairly, and we should all feel able to say when we don’t understand something without being belittled for it.
I hope to see you tomorrow!
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