麻豆社

Good morning.

A tiny bit can turn a huge horse, wrote Saint James; a small rudder steer a vast ship; a minuscule spark set fire to a forest. And a little organ is the most powerful in the body. We鈥檝e tamed elephants, eagles, sea creatures鈥� but who can tame the human tongue? Death and life are in its power, says the book of Proverbs.

On this programme yesterday Susie Dent talked about the force of words, lost words, words from other times that can make the world a happier, forblissed place.

When our children were small I lost my voice鈥� and found myself helpless. I couldn鈥檛 call; commEnd; criticise; control. Tell them there鈥檚 food on the table or it鈥檚 time for bed. Incapable without language. Perhaps you鈥檙e a teacher: how do you instruct? Or a soldier: how command your troops? As for broadcasters, politicians, journalists鈥� rendered utterly redundant.

The might of the mouth. At the beginning of Genesis, God said 鈥淟et there be light鈥�, and there was鈥� water鈥� plants鈥� animals鈥� A whole world created by words alone. The Iliad and Beowulf, two greatest examples of world literature, both open with invocations to tell: Sing! Listen!

Some years ago I went to the shop at the top of our street when a stranger stopped me. He must have noticed me before. 鈥淲hy do you always look so sad?鈥� I explained our daughter鈥檚 very ill鈥� but felt deeply ashamed. Now, every time I leave our house I smile for that stranger, and often see him. With a few words he changed my outlook. The sky glows; the sun chuckles; the autumn leaves dance in the wind. I see them now: his question turned me around.
Psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett has studied the ability of words to feel and deal better with challenges: when we can articulate, we cope and thrive.

On a neurolinguistic programming course with that same daughter, we learnt the positive power of language to change the mindset. It was my turn for some negative utterance to be transformed. Referring to the small friendly blue garden bird, I said.. 鈥淢y life has gone Ts up.鈥� An Italian in our group had clearly not heard the idiom. 鈥淪urely,鈥� he said, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 better than your Ts going down.鈥�

In the beginning was the Word, proclaims Saint John. So transformative, so creative that God Himself became Word and the Word, Flesh to redirect us from death to life.

A word: worth a thousand images.

So don鈥檛 be bumfuzzled or ill-willie: enjoy a jentacular cuppa and go out into the world chirky. Yes, all real words鈥� barely needing definition.
Life is wondrously, gloriously eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious.

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