No one really knows for sure who invented writing, but they put together a number of symbols that made it possible for me and everyone else to express our thoughts on paper, parchment, metal, or even stone and leather, etc. Thoughts written, even thousands of years ago, are still being translated and read. I am very grateful to those who made it possible to exchange ideas via symbols, because I have had to do a lot of writing over the years, during my education, as well as at my profession, in education. Exactly how the symbols were put together to make a word, as well as determining what meaning that word should have for all who read it and or say it, is another miracle. Even today, new words are being formed, meaningful words written by different people from around the world, using the same or similar symbols. I appreciated the following thought: ‘Every word you speak lands on people like a seed and grows like a living piece of you. Whatever words you’ve been planting becomes your legacy that is carried around by others in their hearts and minds. Be mindful of what you say as you may find yourself having to eat what you planted one day!’ Words flow readily out of mouths and from the end of pens, and we too often do not value them. We should make sure that before our words leave, either tongue or pen, that they are saying or expressing what we really wanted them to convey. It has become too easy to form them and send them away, before they are carefully analyzed. My wife frequently quotes; “I know you think you heard what I said. But, what you don’t understand is that it was not what I meant.” Galileo was quoted as saying, “What sublimity of mind must have been his who conceived how to communicate his most secret thoughts to any other person, though very far distant either in time or place, speaking with those who are not yet born, nor shall be this thousand or ten thousand years. And with no greater difficulty than the various arrangement of two dozen little signs on paper. Let this be the seal of all admirable men.”
Not only are written words magical, amazing and entertaining but so, too, are spoken words. The voice that speaks the word may be as, or even more important, than the word itself. The way a word is said can portray anger, kindness, humor or many other human emotions. Many people have and do make a living by the way they have been able to speak and pronounce words. Music is a close second for its symbolism and meaning universally. From the book, ‘The Wisdom of Israel’, we read; “We can reflect further on the benefits God has bestowed on man by the gift of speech and the orderly arrangements of words, whereby he (man) gives expression to what is in his mind and soul and understands the conditions of others. The tongue is the heart’s pen and the minds messenger.” We have to be careful of our thoughts, they may become words at any moment.
There are words that, by their very tone, cause certain people to be mesmerized. They want to repeat the word over and over. My wife, for example, loves the name, Joaquin Murrieta, One day I heard her repeating the name over and over; “Joaquin Murrieta, Joaquin Murrieta, Joaquin Murrieta.” I asked her what she was doing and she said, “I can’t stop saying that name, I love the sound of that name.” I, too, love the sound of a special name such as the name of my great grandmother on my mother’s side. She was a French Canadian woman married to my great grandfather who was half Native American. Her name was, Anastasia Lachapelle. I love that name and I, like my wife, could say it over and over again; Anastasia Lachapelle, Anastasia Lachapelle, Anastasia Lachapelle. The name rolls off my tongue. I wish that I could have met and known her, (maybe one day). The Spanish and French both are beautiful languages and have many beautiful names. There are beautiful words in every language, but some languages just have more of them. English is just too practical, a no nonsense languages.
Because of words we are able to communicate with each other. Try to imagine what it would be like if we were unable to form words.
“There is a story about an elementary school teacher named Mrs. White, who taught students how to write and form sentences with common words as well as, new words that she would teach them. I don’t remember much about what we learned in her class, but my mother once told me that we used to write a lot. I would bring home what I wrote and she would look at it and see that there were so many mistakes. But no red or highlighted markings, or corrections, and always a star. Sometimes even a ‘Good’ scrawled in some places. That would make my heart soar with happiness. But it worried my mother, so one day when she went in to meet Mrs. White for one of those Parent-Teacher meetings. She asked her why she never corrected my mistakes. Why she never red-penciled wrong spellings of words or why she never pointed out grammatical errors. Mrs. White response was, ”The children are just beginning to get excited about using words, and forming sentences. I don’t want to dampen that enthusiasm with red ink. Spelling and grammar can wait. The wonder of words won’t…” And maybe she didn’t say it, exactly like that. It was a long time ago. And what my mother gave me was the gist of what she could remember. The rest I added in. Because I grew up learning to use and love words.”
Even those who are unable to speak words, have found a way to convey what they want to say to each other. If we could not speak or ‘sign’ we would still find a way; we would always find a way to communicate. Words or symbols are the bases of our world, our civilization, our very lives. Without the capability of precise communication there would always be a certain amount of chaos.
We can often hear someone speak of another, “as having the last word” but we, too, often forget the one who had the first word. John 1; 1-3 “…In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…”. As a matter of fact, we ‘are’ and have our being, because of the Word. In Genesis 1: 26, “…And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” 1: 27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” I, for one, love words and I especially love the ‘Word’, the ‘Creator.