Words

I've been thinking this morning about words and the impact of words on my life.   There are so many words in my day.  The written word, the word of God, the spoken word, the words on a sign, the words in my head, and the list goes on and on.  I've also been thinking how those words when used in different forms or by different people have different meanings.  What is it that makes a word have meaning anyway?

I depend on words so much.  I need them to feed my body and my soul.  What would the grocery store be like without words?  How would I know what was inside the can or the box on the shelf?  How would I pass along my favorite recipes without writing them down so that the process is duplicated so the same outcome emerges every time?  Seems the dependence on the word is what gives it the meaning.

That dependence is something of interest to me.  How am I really dependent on the words?  Do the words define me or do I define the words?   If I define the words, than is it that we all have our own perception of what the words mean?  If so, how is it that communication can truly be good if all are defining there own words?

Well, I now think I should turn to the dictionary for clarification of the definition of these words in my head and on this page, but even when I read the dictionary, I carry all the things in my life in my head when I read the meaning.  Therefore the meaning for me is never exactly the same as the meaning for someone else that reads the exact same passage in the dictionary.  Or is it?

It seems that a simple word, such as book, would be the same for all who read the definition, but is it really?   Is the definition of a  book the same for book writers as it is for those that read the book.  Seems that the writer looks at books as a means for getting something out of their minds onto a page or a screen, but the reader looks at a book as something to take into the mind.

Just some words that have been moving around in my head today, and I had to get them out.  Maybe all this will become a book someday!  Wonder how that would impact my life.

Talk to you again soon,

Eileen