In the nature of nature, there is balance.
Some people loosely refer to that idea of things coming back around (as an, the cycle that they travel), or all things being connected, as “The Circle of Life”.
Someone once told me that “everything is connected, though not related”. Over the years, I’ve sat with that and consequently, through my experiences, agree with that sentiment. In many instances, I’ve applied this idea and found it to be true.
All that said, consider this…
What would happen if we took the connotations (negative or positive), implied meanings, colloquialisms, widely accepted “understandings” AND societal norms off the words we used, and simply engaged them based off of their scholarly defined meanings… the actual written definition?
Read that again…
(For the lazy people: What would happen if we took the connotations (negative or positive), implied meanings, colloquialisms, widely accepted “understandings” AND societal norms off the words we used and simply engaged them based off of their scholarly defined meanings… the actual written definition?)
What would we find? What would we come to learn about how we engage the world? What we accept as fact and fiction…
This plays into the idea of the saying, “It is what it is”. But, what is IT? Do you KNOW? OR, are you just going by what you THINK and/or accept?
I WILL say that I have found that this one change has completely transformed my life! I even keep the Merriam-Webster app my phone! As a matter of fact, I used it while writing this very article. Seeking out definitions has become standard in the way I engage listening to others, as well as other parts of my life.
I’ve become more aware of the words I select to express my thoughts and, most significantly (in my opinion), I have an increased awareness that I may not actually be using the words that I mean… AND, it is quite possible that people that I am engaging may not actually be doing so either.
Have you ever been having a conversation with someone, where you both are using the same word to describe something; and as the conversation progresses, you realize that you both are speaking about it in a very different way?
Let’s take it a step further. If this HAS happened, did you stop and look up the meaning from a recognized scholarly source?
Ponder that thought. How often do you do this, if ever? Do you jot down words and go back and reference the meaning; even if for later?
I invite you to give this a shot. Have the experience for yourself and observe what changes may spark from it. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments; I’d love to read up on your progress!
Be great!
READER’S BONUS: I betcha didn’t look up the meaning of “KNOW”!
