On Language and Communication

Quick Facts

-We like to use language to create concepts, feelings, and understanding in ourselves and others!

-Language is a part of communication, which is much broader than language. Think of an aquarium and a lake. Communication can be visual, sensual, audible, etc.

-Every living thing communicates in one form or another!

Intro

When I was younger I used to believe that language was simply a way that two people talked with each other to convey information, but as soon as I realized that some animals "spoke" and communicated by changing colors I knew something was up! I chose to dive into the question, "what exactly is language?" and go as far as I possibly could… Here's what I found!

What Is Language?

We often think of a language as a tongue or a dialect that people speak in, "she speaks the Japanese language." I see, however, that language is simply a small part of a much larger concept altogether: communication.

So while we have different ways of communicating, language is often considered the verbal and written form of such communication, although the two words can also be used interchangeably. Language is the same across all dialects in the sense that it serves as a transfer of knowledge, understanding, and mental imagery. When I write the sentence "the city of Atlantis" I am attempting to awaken a certain image in your imagination, specifically, an image of the famous lost city.

Some of us transfer concepts that are mirrors of our physical reality, for example, "when you turn right at the stoplight you'll see it on the left." Some of us transfer concepts and feelings that, when strung together, make a wonderful story, such as a fiction writer. Some of us transfer concepts that mirror metaphysical reality, and the more enlightened/aware someone is the more profound their communication!

Why Communicate? Why Not Be Silent?

Some people teach that being silent is a great way to become enlightened, for example, "meditate by yourself in a dark room with no noise and nobody else around you." However, when you're doing this you'll often come across subconscious thoughts that are trying to communicate something to you! So are you supposed to suppress or ignore them? No! So what's the deal here?

Often when we wish silence/to be silent, when we meditate in a dark room, we are looking for another form of communication rather than true silence. We're looking to experience suppressed feelings/thoughts, or otherwise, we're looking to experience communication that's transcendental/of a positive nature from within. This is why we communicate - we communicate because we desire to give and receive regenerative and conscious feelings, mental images, and understanding. And why not? Why not enjoy our time here and expand our consciousness? :)

Effective Ways of Communicating vs. Non-Effective Ways of Communicating

When thought about it from a certain perspective, everything is communication, but this does not suffice as an accurate explanation.

I know a person who feels chronically insecure and angry at the same time. He's also proud of his ignorance, and those three things aren't a good combination but that's how he is nonetheless. He communicates his insecurity and anger subconsciously through his actions, body language, and tone of voice; his kind of communication is the perfect example of ineffective communication. We can see and hear what he's saying but since his communication is subconscious we can't really help him as much as we want to.

Effective communication, on the other hand, is "conscious" communication, and I'll explain what I mean. When I have a dream the images play themselves out like a movie, the sounds are usually appealing/helpful, and I feel quite intense while I'm having the dream. When I wake up I often get the message, usually, it's a subconscious part of myself telling me something.

This suggests that visual, heard, and felt communication are the most effective kinds of communication if the sights, sounds, and feelings are appealing, intense, and/or pleasant and if the ultimate message that's being conveyed is conscious and regenerative.

Final Thoughts

I personally love using communication (and to a lesser extent, language) to invoke positive and pleasurable feelings as well as conscious and regenerative imagery. I'm almost 100% positive that this is the best application of communication, that is, to either point to something great or to create/be the greatness itself.

It also seems like there's something past communication. The entirety of the act itself can be transcended into something better! I suppose the thing we transcend into is understanding itself, and then what is beyond understanding?

Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to read my article! I truly appreciate you being here, and I'll see you in the next post :)