Words are a measurement of how humans value or disvalue truth. They are used to explain, rectify, question, mislead, promise and persuade. They are the translation of our thoughts.
They are too often underappreciated.
Yesterday, I watched a beautiful movie in a political science class. The main character of the story attempts to determine what kind of swordsman his opponent is by studying the intricacies of how his opponent paints the Chinese character for “sword.” He emphasizes that calligraphy and swordplay go hand in hand, pushing the boundaries of how one can interpret communication.
There is a simple way to appreciate the subtleties of word use.
Take a look at the Google searches pictured. Each sentence has a slight change in the intention of the question — both who was being affected by the searcher and how personalized the situation was. The suggested continuations of each sentence reveal how individuals’ psyches mold the ways in which they speak.
The scary part is when you apply this realization to entire cultures. Look at the comments under any YouTube video about religion, abortion or politics, and you are bound to see comments rife with “u” instead of “you,” along with atrocious grammar and even worse logic.
Unfortunately, this kind of speech has power — mob power. The use of this style of language enables and induces others to follow such thoughts blindly, with little chance to provoke thought other than “I agree” or “I disagree.” Thus people blindly gravitate together en masse, and without respecting their own thoughts.
Power that truly lasts and leads to a progression of human understanding lies with words that are put together with both care and logic. Such statements have the potential to actually change thought. They show the speaker cares about what he or she says.
One of the most appealing parts is, people can connect with well-formulated words on a much more profound level than they can with a short quip if the former is done properly. Poetry is the most obvious example of this, but the concept is shown in other ways: short stories, books and speeches can sing to or rip out our emotions.
One of my most memorable reads from high school was a funeral oration by Pericles, a leader of ancient Athens. In it, he breaks the tradition of lamenting over dead soldiers by honoring generations that have already passed and giving courage to the living, who would be hard-pressed to live up to the fallen soldiers. The piece is poetic without rhymes, and heartening in the face of loss. It is the definition of power over the masses.
So whether you are crafting your next Facebook post or trudging through a third term paper, I implore you to be mindful of how you express your thoughts. Care for your own ideas is reflected through your words, and those are the words that will survive in the end.
Alix Landriault is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Natchitoches.