You Gotta Read This!

Recently, I had the chance to see the film, “Arrival” and I was impressed by it.

This film explores what many linguists and philosophers of language have suggested, that we do not experience a similar reality. While there are similarities in the planet, and the air we breathe, our perceptions shift based on the words and the grammar that we are using.

An example is with color. Most people don’t really see a true color until there is a vocabulary word for it. Not every yellow is the same, so we need to distinguish between the looks and to understand the differences. Because if you walk up to a paint manufacturer and ask for yellow, they will have an array of shades of this color and ask you which one you want. The paint section at your local Home Depot is an example of this.

Of course, we must consider that this color and phenomenon occur in other cultures and worlds also. Because of this, we must embrace the fact that in everyone’s reality, there are variances that we should consider. Just because someone is looking at an object, doesn’t mean that their perception and associated emotions attached to it are the same.

So, when we communicate, it is important that we focus more on the communication of reality. This is not the reality as we see and imagine it. On the contrary, this is the translation to make others understand what we are talking about. Say you were to Google a chair. In your mind, you are generalizing what you think a chair looks like. So when Google that term, you begin to look at different grammar, phrasing, and other items until you find the precise item you are looking for.

This is the basic concept of Arrival. In this case, if we were to approach a culture that is vastly different from our own, we couldn’t simply explain things. We learn a new language and manner of communication, in order to convey messages and ensure that we are getting our thoughts and ideas over to this other person.

While the core idea isn’t difficult to comprehend, we do find that there is an underlying item we do need to consider. In this case, we need to think about how we are structuring the phrasing and delivering the information so that the receiving individual has the ability to better understand it. While we may speak the same language, what we mean and what we say could be the furthest thing from each other.

One thing to consider deals with the statement of a character in the film. If you were to imagine our language being similar to chess, with a framework of wars and battles, rather than expressions of emotions and ideas, the things we say would shift. At the same time, the perception of this information would also change for those who are listening, and that can mean we have a situation that has gone past simply being uncomfortable.

When we look at language, we must note that it is more than what a person is saying. It is the meaning behind the words and what deeper elements are being offered by their responses to our own. Because what we might find is that a situation can quickly get out of hand, simply because the words shift beyond what we mean, and what is being said.

Words are more than a few sounds gathered together. They have an assigned meaning and with them comes great power and consequences. Think of each as being a roadmap that takes you in a direction of a certain thought or feeling. So you need to decipher what is being said and discover how to bring people to the exact location in their mind that you want them to be.

Our Mental Roadmaps Need Constant Adjustment

One of the problems when we speak to others is that everyone has different maps and understandings of the directions to use them. So this makes pluralism a difficult thing to embrace. So when our point A and point B are different, we need to figure out how find the right path on the other person’s journey. That way, we all end up in the same place.

While we’d likely argue ours is the better of the maps to follow, the truth is that sometimes it takes a different method of travel to get where we need to go.

With this thought, the film Arrival goes into a mind bending direction that while improbable, is still one that we need to keep in the back of our minds. The film points heavily at the importance of communication and just how powerful it can be at building a connection between two people or creating a situation where we destroy others around us. Communication is something we need to focus on and to take seriously, while we avoid some of the problems that we otherwise may face.

Our Words Really Do Create Our Reality – Linguistic Determination

As we talk about language, we have to get down to a universal group of categories. On Earth, we know we have nouns, verbs, vowels, phrases, sentences, and even consonants. No matter what language we look at, these concepts do go from one area to the other. So there are never any surprises when we attempt to learn the language. These items are much like the ingredients we blend together for a language cake. The icing on the cake is then the series of languages in the world, to show how they are all attached to each other. The language we speak is merely superficial, the depth that is there deals more with what we are discussing, and less about the languages we are using to get to where we are headed.

After all, the thing we are looking at here is the language that is being offered. That way we can tie together culture and improve on our communication skills at the same time.

In the 1930's, Benjamin Lee Whorf talked about language this way. Building on his mentor, Edward Sapir, he argued that different languages represent different ways of thinking about the world around us. This view has come to be called linguistic relativity.

It is this idea that Whorf suggests that language has a foundation in our actual culture. When we explore the ideas of grammar and in this case, the Hopi language, we are able to gain an understanding of their concept of time, in comparison to how the Europeans view it. Since this is a different approach, we can gain a deeper understanding of their views and how we can build off of this information. It is this understanding of their viewpoint, we can present information to them in a manner that makes logical sense to them. They have a manner in which their words and phrasing is formed, and as with any language, it all stems from the understanding of time.

Remember, there are different philosophies that help us to shape our reality. When we finally learn about them, we can begin to take what we know, and to gain a better control over what we say to others and how they perceive the information that we are providing to them.

Gregg Swanson is a peak performance consultant and human potential coach and has authored several books and numerous articles on peak performance. Gregg specializes in developing mental strength in individuals that desire to reach their full potential. He has developed a unique online training program “Develop the Mental Strength of a Warrior.” You can also pick up your free eBook,” Why Change is So Hard” by going HERE.