Expression

Feelings and thoughts can be so complex and unique. Most often, we use words as our means express these. There are some sensations that are painfully difficult to express in words. Nevertheless, my relentless foray into using language to the fullest continues.

"What is the alternative to words?", I kept asking myself. Why do I need an alternative to words? To get a thought across to someone who does not know about its existence and as a result does not understand it. One could choose to complement verbal expression with eyes, body language, tones, pauses, volume etc. This leads to a more consummate form of communication.

Until recently, I felt communication was necessary to express something. What when you simply know what someone thinks and feels! Makes communication redundant in this case. I do not speak of a surreal telepathic relationship but a connection where the souls are so exposed that any form of communication becomes either redundant or inadequate.

Experimentation with Expression

“I’m a bibliophile!”

“Oh! I’m just a book lover”

Hmph! Makes me wonder about communication. Expression is simply a method to communicate what one feels. So, the first step in expression is analyzing your audience. Then think about the purpose of the conversation. Then open your mouth appropriately. Then keep room for feedback and alterations. I know this makes it sound like something straight out of an ‘Effective Communication’ course book. But, it doesn’t stop there.

Spoken words communicate a great deal and the same is true for those unspoken. These unspoken words ooze from our eyes, gestures and expressions. Spoken words can be easily faked but it gets tougher when dealing with a paradox in words and body language.

Recently, I started using a different approach to communication. My new teaching job introduced me to etymology and the process dramatically improving my vocabulary in breadth and depth.

Start introducing those words into your daily vocabulary and you’ve reached a different plane. This, of course, is at the cost of getting your thoughts across clearly! The reason I started doing this was simply to add texture to my expression for myself. Though words don’t substitute emotions and experiences, it is my constant endeavor to bridge that gap as well as I can. Communication does not, in that case, necessarily involve two or more people. I could be communicating with myself.

Writing, for instance, could be done for others or for oneself. Most of my writing is for me. That is precisely the reason I can experiment so freely. Otherwise, I would have had to consider the reader and his or her capacity to comprehend my expression.

Defining life

A critical part of communication is defining the terms we employ through our language. What often happens is that we communicate expecting others to understand us and are left perplexed when they don't. The reason is usually our different interpretations of the ideas and terms we use.

Building relationships would involve defining life together. Agreeing on definitions after true and clear discussion leads to a great amount of fluidity in interaction, understanding and growth.

This holds true especially for the overused lingo in the world today. Let me take, for example, the phrase, "I love you". Now let's isolate the word 'love'. We commonly use this term for other phrases like, "I love my dog", "I love Metallica", "I love extra cheese on my pizza" and so on. So what the hell do I mean when I say that I love you?!

We need to be so much more specific and elaborate (and creative) in our communication to get our point across the way we feel it (that's assuming that we really feel it).