Intuition over Logic 4: Words have power over us
Share this article:
This blog post begins with a quote from James Hillman who I wrote about recently in my series of posts about people who “inspire me.
“We need to recall that we do not just make words up or learn them in school, or ever have them fully under control. Words, like angels, are powers which have invisible power over us. They are personal presences which have whole mythologies: genders, genealogies (etymologies concerning origins and creations), histories, and vogues; and their own guarding, blaspheming, creating, and annihilating effects. For words are persons. . . . Without the inherence of soul in words, speech would not move us, words would not provide forms for carrying our lives and giving sense to our deaths.”
James Hillman
Perhaps the only way we see life is through language – through words and the way we interpret using those words. I remember when I was younger wondering one day how I could be sure that the meaning I have for a word is the same as the meaning someone else has for the word. Apart from basic describing words where we can point at things to make sure that we have the same meanings for something – it is very difficult to be absolutely sure that we are saying and meaning the same thing.
I could take us off here on a journey through some philosophical debates about the nature of reality, or through some in depth understanding of how our senses work and what they bring to our conscious awareness. Or, I could take this short piece of writing in the direction that is hinted at by the marvellous quote above by James Hillman.
In this quote, he is opening us up to the wonder of language. He wants us to appreciate the magical power of language. He wants us to be open to the transcendent nature of words.
Listen to a great poem, a great speech – and observe the pivot points, the words that shift and stir something within us.
Then I ask you to hold that moment – that stirring within. Don’t try to explain how we understand these words using a biological process, but rather open yourself to the wonder that comes from the connection, the interpretation, the remembering and the awesome form that words can take.