Word of the Moment

A subject most people ignore is words and why shouldn't they? After all words are being constantly used no matter where you are, no matter if you are or aren't the one that's using them. Sometimes, you might even have the surprise to see that your own words are used by others.

Fact is, if you ask a person what words are you will get as many answers are there are words to describe. A linguist will tell you that a word is "a distinct unit of language with a particular meaning", a politician could tell you that a word is a promise and there would be many more definitions. The catch is that all of them have something in common: they are made of words.

Words are, simply put, the tool of all trades, the main factor that enables us to live. the human body understands that it needs food, but we still need the words that name fruit, sandwiches and other dishes. The mind needs communication or it degrades and the heart needs company or it grows bitter. All these processes that connect to our body are saying one thing: "you need to talk to people."

As society evolves communication becomes more complex since new terms appear or words are given new meanings or functions. Each day new research is conducted with the purpose to create new means of contacting people or to improve those that are already available. Some of them are good, others are lacking, yet they all keep a basic structure that revolves around the written, spoken or encoded word.

Think of Words as shapeless objects that simply are. Now consider your thoughts as boundaries. Every time you think your thoughts constrict a word to a boundary. From another angle the big picture is this: each word has a different value and function. When you use them you place them in a context that influences that value and their meaning simultaneously.

So the same words that for you mean nothing can be a grave insult for someone else or a great show of compassion. AS the saying puts it: "one man's trash is another man's treasure." And if there is one thing that should be comprehended before attempting to speak is that words are powerful tools with a powerful impact.

A word such as "yes" can be bring happiness to the person that asked the one that fancies their eye out and a "no" can show support when it's said to a person that isn't confident in their own strength. The impact that words have on a person is affected by tone, context and attitude and those are the barriers our thinking impose upon them.

In a world where words are constantly used, the primary responsibility of any wanna-be intellectual is to understand that certain words can be taken out of context and that sophisticated language does not necessarily improve your point. As long as thinking is still the basic process through which all our activities are conducted, then words are going to be involved. Before using them certain precautions should be used such as: an understanding of the words you are using and thinking before saying them.

God day & g'night! See ya!

*Some quotes*

» He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.
- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

» Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?
- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)