Life Theme Porcelain Philosophy 1: Language

this is the first installment of a new series of posts that will track my analyses and comments regarding the themes of the life i perceive around me, inspired by autumn.
this particular post came to me as i attempted to sleep. i got up out of bed to write this down. i lose a lot of sleep this way, but it is better than losing ideas.

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the manner in which we appear and comport ourselves is very telling. if i ask you to list the characteristics of a stereotype, looks and actions comprise much of that list. lower on our radar, but of greater importance is language. how you speak and/or write is a reflection of the way you think. since it is so much easier to speak your mind, your word is gospel to your audience (if you are a liar and they know it, they'll just assume you mean the opposite of what you say, and they'll know what you're thinking anyway). your looks and actions send out visual cues; your words send out audio cues. people are naturally inclined to make their judgments and decisions based on these things (as we are not a sniffing or touching culture -- sort of like dogs).

words are swords; you do not need to be a Biblical scholar (James 3) or english major to realize this. though in themselves they are nothing, when we give words meaning, they become corporeal, tangible somethings. just as there are styles of swords, there are styles of speech and writing. just as each style of sword denotes a particular sophistication or ability, so too does the language you use.

back when we still wore swords at our sides (the men at least; women did not -- and still do not -- have penises, so they weren't allowed to carry phallic weaponry), you could tell the status, rank or level of sophistication of a man by the sword he wore. knights carried heavy broadswords, symbols of their strength and nobility and ability to mash things. Aristocrats and Zorro and Inigo Montoya favoured the nimbler rapier, a more refined weapon without the clunk of a broadsword. samurais, symbols of high culture, lived and died by the katana, elegance and precision personified. petty criminals could usually only afford ugly knives or prison-made skivvs and shanks. the way you write or speak is a window into your mind. assumptions are made here based on audio/visual cues. if you have a vocabulary the length of a crayon and primarily consisting of four-letter words that the MPAA frowns upon, expect to be treated like a petty criminal waving a shard of glass with a duct tape handle.

what type of sword do you carry? do you use it as a weapon for gain, or as a tool and badge of honour? do you write like a tW3Lve y3@r-oLD 0n AzN-aV3nUe?

it would be ironic if there were spelling errors or misused words in this post. if you find one, assume that i am arrogant because i did not care to take the time to check my spelling, and that i am pompous for using big words that i do not know.