Deeper than words …
Posted on Thursday 3rd June 2010 6:48 pm
I first got into writing because of my admiration for great newspaper columnists such as Mary Kenny and Julie Burchill. Reading their work made me realise that words are very powerful. They can move you to tears, cleave you to dignity, make your spirits soar. They can make you feel it’s great to be alive – to be free, to be human.
But are there other forms of language that are even more powerful than words? Surely, poets would not agree!
Well, another columnist I admire, Ronald Rolheiser, argued in an article I read today that there are two forms of communication open to humans that are more powerful than any mere languages which use words.
“Words …” he wrote, “have a relative power, but they can also deceive and lie.”
Rolheiser continued: “Words don’t always accurately mirror the heart. Moreover, they invariably fail us just when we most need them, especially in situations where tragedy, death and betrayal render us mute.
“But we have other languages: beyond the spoken word there is body language. Our bodies speak louder and more honestly than do our words. Through our body, through its gestures and the nuances of its countenance, we speak more deeply and more truly than we do with words.”
Obviously, performance poets use both words and the body, so are we well placed to be powerful communicators? In theory, perhaps, but mainstream culture doesn’t seem to value us very highly, and we don’t seem to communicate very well to the mainstream.
I can certainly think of plenty of performance poets who I think communicate powerfully, and with emotional honesty, with both their words and their bodies. But that’s just my opinion.
Anyway, back to Rolheiser. He wrote of two ‘languages’ that are deeper than words. The first, I’ve mentioned – body language.
But he also raises another form of language he says is open to humans – one that is deeper than words, and deeper even than body language.
I don’t propose to go into any detail here about that third form of language - the very deep one. I’m not entirely convinced that all humans access it, though it is certainly there to be accessed.
Can YOU guess what the third language is?
Cynthia Buell Thomas
Tue 15th Jun 2010 13:52
Steve, thanks for the honour of being even considered as competitive material for the LiverPoetry event. I have been abroad and not 'WOL connected' for some time. I'll be participating again soon, though it will take me days to catch up on activities. Respects always.