The thing about rendering something for you in this ongoing Conversations For Transformation internet series of essays is that I'm not rendering it as a Leonardo da Vinci or as a Michelangelo or as an Ansel Adams. No, in this particular form of creative artistic Self-expression, I'm rendering something for you as a regular guy, as a regular Joe, as an ordinary human being. And as a regular guy, as a regular Joe, as an ordinary human being, my word is my medium ie language is my medium. That's part of this, the first half. Here's the rest, the other half: If I were a painter and I rendered something for you in oils, you could easily tell the difference between me and the oils. If I were a sculptor and I rendered something for you in marble, you could easily tell the difference between me and the marble. If I were a photographer and I rendered something for you in giclée, you could easily tell the difference between me and the giclée, yes? Be careful! Don't get ahead of me. This is not a trivial distinction: it's obvious who I am is neither oils nor marble nor giclée. But as a regular guy, as a regular Joe, as an ordinary human being, I'm rendering something for you in this ongoing Conversations For Transformation internet series of essays in the medium of my word ie in the medium of language. So if I do this right, you won't be able to tell the difference between me and my word ie you won't be able to tell the difference between me and language, given who I am is my word ie given who I am is language, yes? The thing is: in this particular context (that is, in this particular context of writing and reading, rather than in the context of speaking and listening), can this ever be done right? Or will you always be able to tell the difference between me and my word ie will you always be able to tell the difference between me and language (in other words, will me and my word ie will me and language always remain dichotomous) no matter how adept ie no matter how facile I become with this particular form of creative artistic Self-expression? Now, you didn't ask for one, but if you do want one, that's a pointer to what this ongoing Conversations For Transformation internet series of essays really is: they're the possibility of me and my word ie they're the possibility of me and language (in both the context of writing and reading, as well as in the context of speaking and listening) being one and the same, being congruent, being indistinguishable one from the other. And ergo, they're the possibility of you and your word ie they're the possibility of you and language (in both the context of writing and reading, as well as in than the context of speaking and listening) being one and the same, being congruent, being indistinguishable one from the other. |
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