Words & how to use them
Explaining words through words. Let's see how this one goes.
Hello, my love. Today I say “hello” to you.
Hello is a word you’ll use. A lot.
Words are units of language. And a language is a set of agreements, taking the form of shapes -if written- and sounds -if spoken-. The agreements decide what those shapes and sounds will evoke in the space of your mind. Let’s call those concepts and ideas.
Meaning words are seldom just words. But a package of abstract things we have, yes, you guessed it, invented.
Words as cushions
Let’s take, for instance, the first word I used today, hello. This is a great example to depict why and how it acts as more than just a word.
It’s a way of softening the first shock of initiating any interaction with another human being. An encounter with another human being is so grand, so divine, and so heart-opening that we had to place a customary term right at the beginning, to… uhm, how can I say? Take it down a notch. And it worked!
We’ve taken it down so much that we don’t even feel the hello. The meaning of the word has evaporated in the sea of automatism.
So, let me walk you through what will be the beginning of 99.9% of your conversations in The Life: