Conveying Meaning: Let's not forget the purpose of language
Image by Willi Heidelbach from Pixabay

Conveying Meaning: Let's not forget the purpose of language

“The purpose of language is to convey meaning” he told me. An odd acknowledgment from my High School English teacher.

But it drove home a point. Let’s not over think things.

We, as humans, need to communicate. In fact, communication may be why we, Homo Sapiens, became the humans that control the Earth. Yuval Harari drives that point home in his book Sapiens.

And I am concerned about whether we are communicating enough. I’m a new writer on Medium.com. I am really just getting my feet wet on the writing process.

But I see a lot of articles about how to communicate. I also see a lot of articles on whether you should communicate. As Zita F points out in her article we almost all are good enough to communicate.  Or how William Cho almost talked himself out of writing.

Let me make it clear. We should all communicate!

We all have things to communicate and we can help each other. We shouldn’t hold back on communication.

So I am writing this piece to remind all of us that we have things to share. The sharing is what matters not the perfection of language.

Each of Us is Unique

The truth is each of us is unique. We have things to share and experiences that no one else has. And because of that we have unique things to share.

No one has experienced what you have in the way you have. Maybe you’ve seen things no one else has seen. Unboutedly you’ve experienced things in an order and a way that no one else has.

And because of your unique layering of experiences you probably have insights and knowledge that no one else has.

We Learn From Each Other

What’s more is that we, as humans, learn from each other. We literally build on each other’s inventions and innovations. How to Fly a Horse by Kevin Ashton does a great job of showing how human invention builds on itself.

Our language, which many of us are shy about, is learned from each other. The formation and style of language is handed from generation to generation and, of course, changes with time.

But the key to human existence is that we learn from each other.

And we owe a duty to one another to share that information with our fellow humans.

We Can Change the Future

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

We know that sometimes it feels futile, as one human, to try to change it all. But human history shows that we can, indeed, change the future.

It’s usually one human that starts a movement of other humans that really changes the world. And each of us can be the seed - or the support - to this change.

Our thoughts matter. We need to add our thoughts to the collective knowledge base of humanity so that we can get things as right as we can for mankind’s future.

Right now there are a number of people speaking out on sensitive political issues. And those voices, I know, will change outcomes, laws and lives.

The Community Needs Us

The community definitely needs all of our thoughts. Whatever unique experiences and insights you have - we need to hear them. The world needs to know.

To hide your own thoughts, experiences and impressions from the world is to no serve those that need us.

While your experiences may be unique the lessons from them may help some other person who needs to analogy to deal with their current struggle or growth. You might just be the thing that compels them to make the big accomplishment that changes the world.

When Not to Write

So until this point in this article I’ve been telling you to get your message out there at any cost. Don’t overly worry about the language or perfection.

And that’s right. Don’t worry too much. Share!

But there are some times you shouldn’t share. Don’t share when your thoughts aren’t developed to the point of helping others. You don’t have to have the answers, but leave something of value.

And don’t write when you’ll ONLY confuse others. Some issues are complex without answers. That’s OK. But if your writing does nothing other than confuse it might be best to develop the thoughts more and then share.

But if you can get meaningful thoughts and out there - and convey meaning - then do it!

Let’s Talk More?

What do you think about this?

What’s holding you up from expressing yourself?

I want to hear from you! I want to know what you are learning. I want to know what you are sharing.

And I really want to discuss why you aren’t sharing. What’s stopping you?

By: The Our Shawn McBride who is constantly studying the Future of Business as the host of The Future Done Right(TM) Show. If you want regular content on the future of business subscribe to get new blog posts from us here.

One of my recurring themes on Medium.com is looking at what words mean. Here are some prior articles on the subject:

Why Sorry is Misused

How “Unprofessional” is misused

And for some completely different topic from me check out Why I’ve Given Up On Work-Life Balance.

NOTE: This article may have affiliate links where we get a small commission if you purchase an item mentioned.

Do you really want to make plans that work?

If you really want to get deep into making great business plans, make sure you get my FREE guide “Planning In Light of A Changing Future” by clicking here.

Resources:

Future Done Right? YouTube Channel  - Check out this YouTube Channel for interviews and discussions about the future of business.

FREE preview copy of Business Blunders! - This is my first book and it looks at common business mistakes that I’ve seen in my years of working with business owners. This will allow you to avoid those issues in your business!

And a Little Thank You?

If you like this article can you leave a clap for it on Medium.com?

This was originally posted at the PlanningDoneRight.com blog. You can subscribe to get new blog posts from us here.

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