We have to recycle our language if we’re going to make change. Language, just like us, is dynamic. It accrues baggage over time. Baggage in this case encompasses all that’s been weathering a word during its lifetime to make it unique. Expressions, idioms, jargon, slang, phrases all change shape and meaning as they interface with the world, just as we do. Over time, the same words we may have used in a past scenario no longer capture the experience we’re wishing to convey now. So why acknowledge this or give this any thought? I’m making the case for honoring all that is dynamic. A dynamic is a relationship and a relationship is dynamic. So when we honor this, what becomes available to us?
When we can see words are vehicles for our messages from one individual to another, we see them as attempting to resonate with that which unites us. They’re a way for us to relate to each other. Words aim to convey the universal experience that’s happening among seemingly individual containers. The same can be said of drums. They're vehicles for connection and have infinite options for us to choose from in the way of rhythms and messages to express ourselves.
Even as I write this, I’m practicing a way of using words in an entirely new way to perhaps touch something within you the reader. If words can become so nuanced that from individual to individual no two people have an identical relationship to a word, then we have to continually recycle and rediscover how we speak about different experiences to ensure we maintain that connection with each other. It’s a similar response to the way we use tools; constantly innovating on them is a necessity of our evolution. What does this look like in practice?
Well, it starts with questioning your own use of language. Which words do you notice yourself using the most often? Ask yourself what your context was for using that word. Consider what other words you could use for each example that comes to mind. Get curious about what you mean by each word you’ve chosen within the message. Explore your answers. Notice patterns or disconnects. Notice congruence and incongruence between inner and outer worlds, the interplay of your intention and your impact.
There’s something about the newness available within language that allows it to be a tool for experiencing the now. A new moment in time with new language allows that moment to be celebrated. It’s the fruit of the labor of continually engaging in a practice of recycling language. Don’t let your vehicles for connection get bogged down by baggage from the past. Find new ways to depict your experience and honor all that makes being dynamic beautiful and worthy of celebration.
Comments