Communication: A Love Letter

I must confess: I love words. Words have hooked me since I was a child, and they have never let go. Don’t hate me for wordplay or occasionally abusing metaphors. I do it out of love. A mad love, perhaps, as the message can sometimes get lost in prose. I use words often for words’ sake. I use them because they feel good to use.

What good is understanding lost in flowery language? What good is clarity lost in obfuscating prose?

I use them without thinking, sometimes without pause. I have to be more aware that others may not love them as much. The beauty is in communication. The beauty is in dissemination. In shared knowledge. In information made ubiquitous, rather than enjoyed by a privileged few. What good is understanding lost in flowery language? What good is clarity lost in obfuscating prose?

Words have power. More than you might think. Words can inspire or discourage, exalt or defame, elucidate or muddle. They are tools of communication equally shaped by whim and intent. When words are used to harm, they are victims of the speaker/writer’s intent to harm. When they are used for good, they can be an agent of change. As much as you may disagree, both uses are valid. They remain tools.

True communication comes from being a little raw.

Understanding—real understanding—is not just about pleasant discourse. True communication comes from being a little raw. Insight into others’ personalities often doesn’t come from their practiced responses or carefully constructed sentences. It comes from the real shit people say when they think you aren’t listening. From experiences that can’t be ignored. It comes from the emotions behind the words when the mind isn’t fast enough to edit. It lives in personal blogs or journals you think no one will ever read.

Words used in this way are beautiful, grammatical errors and all. This is where communication lives, the good stuff. The stuff you can act upon. Even if you disagree with what is said, people have every right to say it. If there is anger, outrage, contempt, or other hostile emotions—try to dig deeper into the message behind it. You can also listen and file it away. That’s your right, too.

I’m mainly just some dude rambling on the Internet, but this realization has led me to consider how I use my own words. I’m constantly wondering if I’m being heard and hearing others. I’m trying not to overwhelm them with information as I recognize that I do love words for words’ sake sometimes. I’m a recovering grammar and punctuation snob, because if the message is clear and compelling then fuck the Oxford comma. I realized that taking time to point out when it’s “you’re” rather than “your,” strips power from both message and messenger, and leaves just an error to be corrected.

My true love of communication deserves more than that.