The word is a powerful tool, especially when placed in order
from left to right (or in some cultures, from right to left) with
a bunch of other words. The word is SO powerful, so subtle a tool; that men and
civilisations have risen and fallen throughout history often with only words to hold their sanity in a world of questionable morals.
Words are steadfast. They remain. They can be thought or
spoken or written, but something about the way they attempt to capture and
narrate the transience that is a human life has led to words being the focus of
our modern society. From the earliest humans grunting and gesturing, intoning
their voice to indicate caution or amusement or love, words sprang forth into
the lives of humans and they have held our social fabric together ever since.
Some people believe in one particular book with a lot of
particular words, and choose to live their personal lives by these words
written by others; dictating their behaviour and potentially predisposing their
destiny. Some choose instead to see words as a toy, a peculiar plaything to be
picked apart and scrutinised, with meaning and reinterpretations reverberating
from every particular choice of prose.
A word, bare of context, is just a word, and can only mean
itself.
Text within context springs to life and you as the reader
can choose to make sense of it as best you can. The more contexts, the easier
the meaning of any given word becomes to ascertain.
Despite some flowery words in the prior paragraphs, (as well
as some subtle alliterations and admittedly aggressive assonance), my point
has remained simple.
Words are powerful.
Will Longfield, writer
© 2013 The Copy Collective.
