The Weight of Words

I have recently become much more aware of the importance of words and how carefully they must be used. Part of the reason for my newfound awareness is the fact that I have been fighting more. The reason for my recently discovered passion for argument is that I have someone worth fighting with and worth fighting for. It does also mean that I have to be much more careful with my words, especially when I am angry, as I do not wish for my anger to inflict hurt.

Words can be so easily used to wound, often in an irreversible way. Physical bruises may fade, but the pain inflicted by poorly chosen words may remain. However, it is also possible for well crafted and perfectly selected words to be recalled for a lifetime. They may be the words shaped by the greatest wordsmiths of history or words spoken spontaneously with genuine passion and honesty.

In the electronic age in which we exist, there is both a plethora of words and a great misuse of them. When the printed word first became widely available, it was held as something sacred, something that must be carefully considered and crafted. Now, the days are long gone of illuminations of manuscripts as well as the art of penmanship. We absorb so much written information in the day, as well as communicating with poorly chosen words for the most part. We do not take care in what we say to each other, nor what we write. Communication has become a commodity instead of an art. Productivity is measured in how many emails can be sent and how many words can be produced. As a student, words were measured. Papers could only be a certain length, or a professor could refuse to grade it. We had to measure our words to ensure that they were not similar to the words of any other. Writing became a task instead of a pleasure and the weight of them became almost unbearable. The glory of writing for the sake of writing, to enjoy the feel of the words as they move around in your mouth before being transferred to the page is astonishing. The weight has been lifted from my shoulders and transferred into what I write.

Perhaps one day what I write will be published. Until then, the weight of it is enough to comfort my soul.