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How Writing Makes the Invisible Visible (And Using This to Connect to Things Far Bigger)

By writing authentically we tap into things larger than ourselves

David Loewen
Pragmatic Wisdom
7 min readAug 17, 2024

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an illustration of a hand using an illuminated light bulb like a pen
Graphic by author

Imagine being able to taste with your arms or feet. Sounds like science fiction, but for an octopus, it’s reality.

Each of an octopus’s arms is equipped with suction cups that don’t just grab hold of things but also taste them. Through touch, an octopus chemically samples its environment, converting touch into flavour.

An octopus doesn’t just explore the world with its arms — it transduces what it’s feeling into something entirely new — taste. This fascinating ability is a fitting metaphor for highlighting what happens when we write, and, when we read writing (ours’ and others’).

When we write, we’re not just simply putting words on paper (or a screen). We’re transducing (like an octopus) by taking abstract, fluid, internal thoughts, memories, and ideas and converting them into something tangible and structured (words, stories, and so on).

Transducing, more simply, means converting something from one form into another. With writing, we turn our complex inner world into structured language.

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Pragmatic Wisdom
Pragmatic Wisdom

Published in Pragmatic Wisdom

Simple lessons for our complicated modern times, drawn from philosophy, religion, and common sense

David Loewen
David Loewen

Written by David Loewen

Crafting Words Driving Change | Educator | Ghostwriter | Founder Box Cutter Co. | Cofounder Humanity Academy | https://www.davidloewen.org

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