Speechless

Let me take you to a place you may have been countless times in your life--I know I have. Your telling someone--your best friend, significant other, parent, teacher or whatever--a story.
 It's a great story, rife with vivid imagery and catchy dialogue and suspense and just...well, all the hallmarks of a great story. And then, you get to the best part, the juiciest detail, the apex of this recount that is going to knock your listener right on his or her butt, and you are trying to describe this one moment...and you can't think of the word to give that moment its due justice.

You are literally stumped for a word and you end up going with some lame synonym that pops into your head (probably from Bunje's damn SAT Vocab list) but you know that your story falls flat because that was SO not the word you wanted. Ever happen to you? Why, do you think?

Well, I have a theory. It's in its nascent stages, but a theory nonetheless. I have procured said theory by perusing ( a word that does not mean what many of you think it means, incidentally) The Global Language Monitor. You all thought I was the world's hugest dork when I told you about it!
Remember how many words we now have?  Forgot?  Go here: http://www.languagemonitor.com/global-english/no-of-words/

This site is dedicated to tracking trends in language, specifically the English language, and it is chock full of all kinds of fascinating facts about word etymologies, global trends, colloquialisms etc. It's really cool, especially if you're a geek like me (and many of you are--don't even try to front).

Anyway, it was while I was on this site that my theory began to crystallize about why we, at the worst possible moments, are suddenly at a loss for words.


BTW--Know what the millionth word was?? "Octomom."  Such a disappointment. Which is just one more  idea proving that pop culture is the crux of societal knowledge. (If the blog had emojis, I'd put the one that looks like it is contemplating something, here)

Anyway, 1,000,000 is a pretty impressive number by any standard, especially when you consider that the French Language has fewer than 100,000 words total. The average human has approximately 14,000 words in his or her repertoire. Shakespeare had 24,000--1,700 of which he made up--floating around his brilliant brain. Man, I love that guy.
So, all this to say..what? Well, even with all of those words zooming through the ether, the bottom line is there is sometimes no word to describe, define, pinpoint or whatever, the "undefinable." That's why we can't finish the story in the scenario I mentioned earlier. Undefinable words usually fall into one of three categories: feelings, abstract concepts and phenomena.

When I say feelings, I mean like, that sensation that washes over you the first warm day after a long, cold winter when you are driving in a car with all the windows down and radio tuned into your favorite song. Or, the feeling you get when you just get your crush's phone number and you're staring at your cell phone, sweating, pacing, wondering if you should start to text.

Occasionally, mixed in with feelings are some abstract concepts, like the idea of strength, character, courage etc.
And I know we have all experiences some weird phenomena-type occurrences that we write off as "coincidence" which is a catch-all word that doesn't really encapsulate the notion that, for example, when someone you know gets pregnant suddenly all you see are pregnant women or maternity stores or baby paraphernalia. Or, when you buy a new car you begin to notice that there are 4 of that same car within a mile of your house.

All of these things and so many more, despite the much-vaunted number the GLM is broadcasting about the English Language, simply do not have a word that really captures the essence of their true meaning.

That is, until this blog.

Your task this week, Langers, is to put a word to those notions, concepts, feelings and/or phenomena. So, first I want you to think of one of those moments--the feelings, concepts or phenomena that you personally have experienced. Then, I would like you to talk about the "synonym" that would closely describe it, even though you know in your heart that synonym doesn't do it justice. Then, in a whimsical fit of language acquisition, I want you to MAKE UP a word that would better describe what you're talking about. Hell, if Mary Poppins can do it, why can't we?  :)

The Things We Leave Behind

In Buddhism, HH (which stands for His Holiness),the 14th Dalai Lama once said, "The creatures that inhabit this earth-be they human beings or animals-are here to contribute, each in its own particular way, to the beauty and prosperity of the world."

I am not sure where I heard or read that, most likely in a liturgy at a Temple I used to attend, or any one of a thousand (hyperbole) books on HH, but I think about that particular notion quite a bit. It goes along the same lines as that age-old query, "Why am I here?" I suppose, but when I think of my contributions to the world and what I can do to be a part of the sum total of beauty and prosperity, only two things ever come to mind.
One, of course, is you. Collectively.
I teach. That's something I can do because in so doing, I am afforded the opportunity to, hopefully, broaden minds and open hearts, which will in turn allow you to do the same things with whomever is lucky enough to come in contact with you as you dance through your time on Earth.

What do you do?
What will you do?
 Do you believe in HH's idea about contribution?
Does it make sense but seem impossible?
Does it seem like a bunch of nonsense?
What has been your greatest contribution so far?
 Don't say nothing or start wailing, "I'm only a teenager--I haven't done anything yet!" because that is a total cop-out. Think about all the people you have known, both superficially and deeply, and imagine how many more you have impacted in ways you might not even know yet. Maybe it's a friend, a sibling, a stranger on the street. Things that you may not even think twice about doing or saying can have an impact that changes someone's life forever. That's chilling and exhilarating and awe-inspring concept.

So, what do you think will your legacy be? And more importantly, what do you WANT it to be?

World Views and other Scenes from a Teenage Perspective

Genuine tragedies in the world are not conflicts between right and wrong. They are conflicts between two rights. ~Georg Hegel

The other day, I had a conversation with an old friend from college. It was more of a spirited debate, actually, about the nature of good and evil, right and wrong etc. My world view, will, I'm quite sure, be of no surprise to you--I believe "good" is a matter of perspective and convenience, and that "right" is determined by whoever has "the bigger gun" so to speak. (This is not a political world-view--meaning, regardless of the politics of the times, I always think this way).

I don't know if I am right about this, but it seems to me that the good people of the world outweigh the bad. My perspective on this rarely shifts, and is also reinforced when tragedies such as the one in Newtown, Connecticut, or Ferguson, MO, or San Bernardino, CA, or Berlin Germany, Nice, France (I could go on but why depress us all further) occur.  I believe it is an objectively unfair universe we inhabit, although I have a hunch it has a way of righting its ownself from time to time.
So the debate between my friend and I ensued.

My friend's world view was quite a bit different than mine--much more idealistic and much more indicative of his personality. In his eyes, my friend (his name is Ahmed) is certain that good always conquers evil, the meek shall inherit the Earth, all you need is love etc etc etc. He goes on to posit that good things come to good people and eventually, all the pieces will fall into place if you live a good life.  Seriously, that's really what he believes.  He's a really sweet guy--it boggles me.
(I keep him around, this college buddy, because he gives me hope, and when I am feeling way too misanthropic and cynical for my own good, he gives me balance. All of the other times I mock him shamelessly for his "dreamy" and (what I consider to be) unrealistic view of the world).

So, my question(s) for you this week is--where in our spectrum does your world view fall? Do you think people are mostly bad or mostly good? What determines that? Do you think that the person who does the right thing always wins? If so, what's the prize? Are there clear-cut answers about what's right and what's wrong? How is it all measured? Let's get a little Lang-y and tell a story (real or metaphorical--no matter) to illustrate/exemplify your points.  Try to think of an example about which you feel passionately. It is usually passion that dictates what your true beliefs are.  However, when we use passion to describe or talk about them, we run the risk of sounding like we can't be taken seriously.  So, try to temper your passion (your pathos) with your logic (your logos).