Talk Forever Just to Pass the Time

Language is absolutely beautiful. Sometimes it's the romantic accent, sometimes it's the way the sounds roll off the tongue, sometimes it's the chills-inducing meaning of the word. Language effortlessly transforms our abstract thoughts and emotions into powerfully tangible entities. It starts wars, but also ends them. It takes control, steals the spotlight, in every situation. Language, I am your fan.

Despite its immense capacity, language is abused. It is ironic that humans, famous as a species for having created language, are also responsible for its demise. Sure, modern literary works are still comparable to the works of Shakespeare and Chaucer. But modern conversation, everyday language, is fast deteriorating.

My friends and I often joke about what "outsiders" must think when they are listening in on our conversations. They seem so ridiculous. But in the moment, to us, they are hilarious. And I have no problem with this. Nobody says we can only talk about politics and the economy.

I do, however, have a problem with empty words. The whole "talk is cheap" thing. Speaking just to hear your voice. Talking just to say something. Using meaningful words without meaning them. This is what makes language come crashing to the ground (think Jenga).

From contrived entertainment stories to propaganda to purposefully vague public statements to speeches written by some outside writer, in today's world, every word has to be taken with a grain of salt. People can say whatever they want whenever they want while more often than not, overlooking the effects their words will have on others.

For our slide presentations in my thesis seminar, we get charged 10 cents per word we use on each of our slides. It's our professor's way of showing us how sometimes you can say more with less. And by using fewer words with more meaning, you can get more bang for your buck.

I live by the line don't speak unless you can improve the silence. I can't say that I always succeed, but I like the general sentiment. Improving the silence doesn't mean spewing life-changing or philosophically deep musings. It just means that you put just a little bit of thought into what's about to blow the silence into oblivion. As the Japanese proverb goes, a tongue is three inches long, yet it can kill a man six feet high.