Liberating Boom

Children think long before they are able to express themselves. In that sense, we are all children waiting to come across the words, sounds and movements that show what we mean. That allow us to communicate. When artists stumble across a combination that captures what we already know, there is a feeling of recognition. A liberating boom that we want to share.

There are large barriers in learning to communicate. We don't know what colours become a messy brown-grey when mixed. We step on our partners feet when we dance and our limbs refuse to move in time with the music. Our fingers won't pluck the right string or press the right key. We don't have the right vocab or the right grammar to engage - so we remain silent. We leave it to others to find expression for us.

Until babies are able to express themselves in some way and connect to others the world must be an absolutely terrifying place. No wonder they are so convincing in their howls.

Source: http://favim.com/image/15307/

We specialise as we get older and mostly put aside our crayons, musical instruments and 'childish ways'. We don't regard writing as childish but largely stop trying to improve since it is intimidating. It is safer to engage with people who know and write in our narrowly defined and accepted code. The majority of people end up hiding behind 'academicese, bureaucratese, corporatese, legalese, medicalese, or officialese'. Steven Pinker has made a stab at helping us improve our ability to communicate our ideas with 'The Sense of Style'.

Pinker believes style matters because (1) It helps writers get their message across, (2) It earns trust, and (3) It adds beauty to the world.

I hope his books leads to more liberating booms and fewer snotty nosed, drenched cheeked, pleas for understanding.