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| the unlit highway of self-assurance. |
there was a message to be dispersed, and he was attempting to "reach out to the younger generation."
"people don't have time to talk to me," he said, citing examples of people texting or absorbed in the music coming out of their ipods.
so i told him: "i think literature is remarkably ineffective strategy for conveying your message, especially for younger people." it may be true that people "don't have time" to talk to him, but it's almos certainly true that they don't have time to read his tract after they walk away. and if they do, what then? what kind of power can literature convey to this world?
even as a english major, i am skeptical of the power of stark written word to convert a person into a believer in an un-stark and unwritten Reality. "how about demonstrating the love of God?" i said. "can you feel it right now?"
he could. but certainty had it's nasty little claws in him. he wasn't offended by my words, but asserted with intensity: "i know that what i'm doing is right." he cited a biblical account of apostles "preaching door-to-door" and referenced the persecution that he had experienced as an open-air evangelist...
there are some people who need to believe what they believe to be ok, who cite evidence in defense of the dogmatic claims upon which their sense of self-value is based. i think the man at the park is one of those people. and so am i.
Damn. That was a remarkable moment of confession. I'm impressed bro.
ReplyDeletei had to read this again. As someone who likes to write spoken word, and like to write in general, i do also wonder if words and literature make a difference. i feel inclined to share a lot of what i feel and learn. i have been moved by a lot of writing and thoughts and ideas, but what exactly makes someone want to get off their butt and do something?
ReplyDeletei think, with words, we must try our best to inspire, but our life must do the rest.
They absolutely do. Action IS the power of words. Both in their ability to influence and inspire it, and in the fact that they are built by the actions that preceded them. It reminds me of a marriage, my dad has always said that the man is the head, but the woman is the neck and can turn him whatever way he desires. Actions may speak louder, but words can ultimately determine what actions will take place.
ReplyDeleteWords on a page don't have much power in my opinion. But the ideas and thoughts behind something can change the course of history. That being said, if you are going to share a personal revelation about God you had better be ready to get personal.
ReplyDelete@michael: "Action IS the power of words."
ReplyDelete- i can dig it. i was actually sitting in class this week,and the professor brought up the phenomenon of "speech-act." one example that he gave was saying "i do" as a part of a marriage ceremony. introducing this new classification of speaking gave me some things to consider.
is there a time when the words spoken from one person to another are more than simply indicative?
"my dad has always said that the man is the head, but the woman is the neck"
- haha, i've never heard that one.
"Actions may speak louder, but words can ultimately determine what actions will take place."
- i'm sympathetic to that notion. maybe by more exploration we can get a better picture of how that happens? i really want to see for myself. do you?
@rachel: "i think, with words, we must try our best to inspire, but our life must do the rest."
- i like that. as you know from reading biographies, you are in great company when you say that.
@micah: "But the ideas and thoughts behind something can change the course of history."
- thank you v for vendetta!
but seriously, that is a very powerful claim to make (probably one of the things that makes that film so moving).
to what extent are those ideas mingled up in the language? to what extent are they formed by the own expression, and to what extent do they unattachedly indicate?
"That being said, if you are going to share a personal revelation about God you had better be ready to get personal."
- mhmm, necessarily so.