Words and their meaning seem rather important in our lives, language being a pivotal form of communication, spoken and written, so easy to understand why so important. And currently we have a murky pool emerging of the redefining of terms and long decided meanings. Which serves a purpose, because if people can’t effectively communicate, then other things become more difficult and can be ultimately frustrating to people, and helps a lack of cohesion. Even between people who speak the same language, may often find they don’t understand each other. A famous quote springs to mind here –

“I know you think you understand what you thought I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant” ~ Alan Greenspan

That saying could be used for so much these days, but will be necessary for the new hate speech laws they want to enact whenever someone sees it fit to do so. And on that basis, I guess it’s an interesting time to focus on those who believe that hateful speech is in fact being used. So, my question would be I guess, is it because the person had a perception of being hated which makes it so? Or what was said was said with hateful intent or content? And of course, with either option, one must then surely ask, who gets to decide what is considered a hateful feeling? When does a fact become hate? Or an opinion with no feeling whatsoever gets decided by someone who is not feeling what that person is. That’s why it is such a murky area being encouraged, because it will be based on how people feel about things that have been said. Stopping people being able to toughen up and be able to handle basic things and interactions in life, instead keeping them in their feelings and focusing on words, rather than using your thoughts and focusing on what people do. And you really do need both to be functioning to get through life effectively, being able to understand things and have feeling towards them is great, but know when to apply thought and logic and perhaps a little outside perspective.

Don’t go to bed angry, don’t make big decisions when you’re really excited or down, don’t react in the heat of the moment. All sayings to let you know that sometimes feelings takeover, and logic goes out the window for a bit but with time a bit of reason, things look and feel different. If you never learnt to process those things, or have something blocking normal responses like painkillers or other prescription drugs, then it may be extra tricky to manage your emotional responses. And if you happen to be in a position of power or authority, then it can easily be the motivator in what is a disproportionate reaction to merely words, which are not even deemed offensive in the normal walks of life. And you know what they say about that, offence is taken not given. So, can you really punish someone by law for taking words as hatred, when in most cases you cannot prove they were given as such? But I believe that’s the point. People then get distracted by words and their intended meaning and consequence of that perceived intention, rather than paying attention to what is being said, not how you felt when they said it. Because clearly their feelings are not quite as stable as some people may think, with Karen’s now being a thing. Developing ‘thick skin’ as they called it, was something I thought most people knew about, and while it shouldn’t make you seem impervious, it’s necessary to not spend your life being hurt or disappointed. And another of those sayings that seem really apt these days more than ever, stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Simple, yet says what it means. And although I knew what it meant at the time as a kid when I heard, I have understood more so when older why it’s important, and what happens when it is lacking in some.

But back to words, and other importance of written and spoken language. Namely the use of words to cast spells, what they associate with Witchcraft these days, to give you a medieval view of the term and of witches and warlocks, hypnotising people with their ‘spells’. Makes me think of modern usages of them, casting being used for a ‘magical’ process of creating illusions for entertainment, with actors and specially written dialogue to capture your thoughts. Sounds quite a spell like to me, and on that basis we do indeed have witches, wizards and warlocks around today.

The word craft can itself mean a skill to deceive others, rather than just for a hobby or such, which leads me to think of another word to have it attached of late. Minecraft, which may indeed just be a simple game to be enjoyed, but I have suspicions. Yet the term being crafty is there, for deviousness and deception, with spells being cast and thoughts being harnessed in a certain way. Almost as if the outburst of feelings from them is being harvested to drive on the ever-growing vibration it creates. And if you would like an idea of just how far it is said that thought creates reality, you might like to read my piece Is it really the machine we should fear?, specifically the part about Tulpamancy. Many have noticed however that words have been weaponised in a way not seen before, propaganda and its uses now reaching into every aspect of people’s lives. Not to bring clarity or to further our ability to discover and communicate, no, it seems to be there to confuse and divide us, while being manipulated into dastardly schemes and regimes. And they really would like people to be too stupid to notice or understand, so if they are too busy arguing amongst themselves, or don’t have the right language or understanding to say anything, it means they are less likely to ever stand together. Or so they think…

(c) K Wicks