Posts Tagged ‘meaning’
How are you?
How many times during the course of the day do we ask each other the simple question, “How are you?” It is a brief question with expectation of an equally brief answer. We are usually not disappointed: “Fine. How are you?” “Can’t complain.” “Great, thanks.” And this is not necessarily a bad thing.
What we are ordinarily trying to communicate by asking the question is Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in The Word Became Flesh
A word is a separate thing from that which it describes. It is also linked by meaning to the thing it describes. Meaning unites the word and its object inseparably. A rose is a rose is a rose. The object gives meaning to the word and the word becomes inseparable from the object. One can no longer exist without the other.
This is so true, that it is safe to say that no thing or concept can exist in our minds without us naming it. How can we have a discussion about pride (or prejudice for that matter!) without having a word to describe it? Words are the means by which we interpret reality to ourselves Read the rest of this entry »