I had a dream I was walking around at night in the park, where I grew up, and behind the swingset, there was this 3-4 story brick building. It looked like an old tavern or inn, but it was beautifully maintained with a nice porch and white shutters on the windows. It had a for sale sign in front of it. Across the front door in big gold plate letters “Washington Train Museum” was written. I walked in and everything was very clean, but obviously it was closed. The front lobby had a gift shop area. The upstairs was a restaurant. As I walked up the wooden staircase to the third floor, it overlooked the dining area of the restaurant. In the third floor, there were a few rooms, like offices perhaps. One of them had a light on inside, behind a sheet that covered the door way. I walked in, and there was a man standing in there. He was an artist of some sort, definitely a hint of mystery about him. He was in his 30s, black hair, thin black beard and mustache, and dressed like you’d expect someone from the early 1900s to dress with a tightly fit vest and sleeves rolled up. He seemed welcoming and asked if I was interested in buying the building. I told him that I didn’t remember the building being there when I was a kid, so I knew that it was not a permanent building. I was so very impressed with potential of the place though, so I asked him how I could be sure people would be able to get to it if I did buy it and try to reopen it to the public. He seemed entertained that I had figured out the building was a sort of “traveling” building. Then I came up with the idea that I’d have to market it as a place where you could visit in your dreams. Only such a lovely place could be rationalized as existing in a dream world.
It’s ludicrous. Rules, then exceptions to those rules. Logic, then words that defy that logic. We’ve have this stupid language for centuries, and we just continue with the madness. There is no end in sight. Sometimes, I wonder if the AOLers and shorthand IMers are pure evil or truly revolutionary geniuses.
Related: Gallagher’s bit on words (skip to 4:30 if you’re short on time and filled on humor)
“I hold it be a proof of great prudence for men to abstain from threats and insulting words towards anyone, for neither…diminishes the strength of the enemy; but the one makes him more cautious and the other increases his hatred of you and makes him more persevering in his efforts to injure you.”
Whatever happened to “sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me”? Words are really tools of destruction by nature, even though they can be used to come off as temporary good, but if those words aren’t maintained, it’s really just a form of prolonged destruction. Only once you’re objective will you be able to acknowledge how unbalanced our dependence on words is.
Example 1: You tell someone, “You’re an idiot.” 5 seconds later, you say, “You’re not an idiot, you’re so smart.” 9 times out of 10, the person still thinks you called them an idiot, even though you used words to negate and then reverse the initial comment.
Words cannot undo the destructive nature of words. Actions, however, can. Hence, “Actions speak louder than words.” By placing such strong emphasis on words, you’re setting yourself up for 1) destruction and 2)prolonged disappointment if you deny actions and maintain a focus on words.
Words are also free. Hence, “Talk is cheap.” People can lie because it takes little to no effort. To actually carry out their words in actions though, takes conviction.
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