On Reading, On Hearing (1999) |
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The power of words, ironically, cannot be described in words. Perhaps that is why words are such a supreme divine metaphor--their character can never be entirely understood, and they can only be described in degrees of themselves. The
philosophy of words comes down to earth in all our lives.
We learn early on that words, like sticks and stones, do
in fact hurt us. We feel the frustration of being unable
to describe something in words. We watch words open
windows in our minds. That is the beauty. Words are the
building blocks of ideas, and usually we only can think
about ideas that have words attached to them--otherwise
they remain as mere phantoms of ideas. I
remember when I was twelve and my best friend Kale
accused me of "patronizing" him. I had never
heard the word and so I didn't know what he meant; he
explained it to me. The idea of patronizing a person had
never occurred to me. I knew that I pitied people, or
ridiculed them, but I never knew the subtle act of
patronizing. Until I had a word for it. Once Kale taught
me the word, I saw patronizing everywhere. I saw when I
patronized people, and when they patronized me. But like
seeing Orion in the night sky, until I knew the name for
it, I never noticed it. Then, when I had a word, I could
pick it out. Just as every time I'm lucky enough to see
stars, I see Orion, and only Orion. Of
course, "patronizing" was just the start; we
all build our ideas on words learned and thoughts shared.
And the way for any of us to increase our mental
stockpile of ideas--to pour a load of Miracle Grow on the
garden of our minds--is to indulge in words. And it is an
indulgence. Like food, there is the basic course of
words, on which you can survive--warning labels,
advertisement, email. There is also the health course of
words, which promise to make you better--devotionals,
self-help books, fashion magazines. And there is the
truly indulgent, which aspires primarily to be robust in
taste--poetry, literature, philosophy. Such
categories are overly simplistic, since most books
attempt myriad goals. But perhaps I mention it because I
don't care for the notion that we should read books only
to better ourselves. Some people may read too many
devotional-type books, hoping to find solutions to all
life's problems. (Admittedly, I am quite sure I read too
few). But what I believe in is tasting great writing in
multiple forms, and letting them take you as they will. I
have been rebuked and edified by some classic novels and
I have been made hard-hearted by some Christian
devotionals. You never know what you'll find, or where. --This
essay originally appeared in Thirsty Plants, a webzine
for the Caedmon's Call Guild |
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| © 2001 Aaron Tate | |