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what are words for?
Jul. 22nd, 2005 09:56 amSome interesting thoughts were bubbling up on the way to work; I'm trying to get back to them through the stresses of work already (not only am I effectively an 'army of one' today, but I got kicked out of my cube so they can put a useless, big honking metrics monitor over my head: ugh). I'm trying not to be whiny and stressed out, really.
A bunch of stuff almost gelled as I passed over the river of mist this morning (seeing the sun in the sky on my first turn east and catching a glimpse of the river are the high points of my commute). I'm starting to realize (probably late and slow) that I'm brushing up against words and concepts that for years I have been dismissive and/or scornful of (bad grammar; deal). 'Spiritual', 'mystic', 'wisdom', usw: I've never liked the meaning, the connotations attached to these words; I suspect it's more the latter, particularly in relation to those that seemed to use them most. I'm not sure I'd call it a devaluation, since I don't think I ever really valued those terms: maybe more like an imprinting of meaning. It wouldn't surprise me at all for some of my intensely resistant reactions to be a side effect of the retreat from random seeming weirdnesses when I was really young, but I honestly can't say.
This situation puts me in a strange linguistic space. Do I try to reclaim or overwrite the terms? Do I create other terms? Both seem troubling, as there's little use in words or phrases that don't communicate meaning. But on another hand, if I use those and related terms without modification, I'm miscommunicating, as well, or at least not communicating my meaning, my intent.
A bunch of stuff almost gelled as I passed over the river of mist this morning (seeing the sun in the sky on my first turn east and catching a glimpse of the river are the high points of my commute). I'm starting to realize (probably late and slow) that I'm brushing up against words and concepts that for years I have been dismissive and/or scornful of (bad grammar; deal). 'Spiritual', 'mystic', 'wisdom', usw: I've never liked the meaning, the connotations attached to these words; I suspect it's more the latter, particularly in relation to those that seemed to use them most. I'm not sure I'd call it a devaluation, since I don't think I ever really valued those terms: maybe more like an imprinting of meaning. It wouldn't surprise me at all for some of my intensely resistant reactions to be a side effect of the retreat from random seeming weirdnesses when I was really young, but I honestly can't say.
This situation puts me in a strange linguistic space. Do I try to reclaim or overwrite the terms? Do I create other terms? Both seem troubling, as there's little use in words or phrases that don't communicate meaning. But on another hand, if I use those and related terms without modification, I'm miscommunicating, as well, or at least not communicating my meaning, my intent.
