Meditation for June 13th, 2016
Words Are Viruses
“Virus.Noun. A piece of code that is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data.”
Virus also derives from the word venom, which suggests that it can also mean something that poisons the heart or the soul.
Words, and language, is a virus. Look at the way words have become weaponized and even used as an antidote for the poison swallowed by another’s words.
William S. Burroughs warned us in the 60’s about how dangerous words will become and now with the internet being readily available to almost everyone in the world, we have a worldwide viral disease spreading.
A person can hide behind words like a castle wall. They build the wall and now the rest of the world can see the wall, but the person doesn’t have to stand by that wall at all. It doesn’t express anything but what the writer tries to intend, but the virus is where the reader interprets the writers work, and in some ways, the reader had misinterpreted the writers intent.
If a person says the same words to the same reader, but out loud and to each other, the argument can be stood up for the arguer, and the arguee can clarify the point being made and possibly interpret the arguer’s intent correctly. You can’t do that with the written word.
A word can have as much meaning as we let it. For a long time people used the word gyped for getting ripped off. It was short for Gypsy. It is saying that Gypsies rip people off, so therefore you are dishonest like a Gypsy. No one felt bad about using that word until people started giving that word power in the sense that Gypsies are not all thieves and grifters and that saying gyped is a stereotype that hints at hate.
Gay is another word. For a long time during the 70’s, through the 80’s and 90’s, gay was used as something is lame. “Star Trek TNG is gay.” The power of that word became sickening strong when it is pointed out that saying something is gay is saying that someone who identifies as gay is less than someone who identifies as straight. Gay, the word, has become poison for some.
With the Internet being this instant engine for information and now with our mobile phones carrying this power in our pockets, we get instant news at the speed of light. Now we see things happen in real time and need an explanation of why things are happening at the speed that the news is coming in. The businesses that supply us with that information try to satisfy us with think pieces and opinions that may or may not be true or relevant.
We have people who want to defend their lifestyles and who they are by writing open letters, blogs and commenting on other people’s blogs and open letters. Others just share these blogs and open letters to show how we feel about something with someone else’s voice. We react if we disagree with our own blogs, open letters and forwarded blogs and open letters. The words mean nothing but the meaning we give them.
Words aren’t action. Words are chickens clucking loudly in the chicken coop driving there dog mad. Words are inaction. “I declare this!” Or “Our hearts and prayers…” But it does nothing. Changing things requires little to no words, just action.
The best thing to do is turn off the computer and go love someone or create something. Words have and are poisoning you. Go outside.