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from Natural Life Magazine, July/August
2009 My wife and kids all love back scratches. We sometimes even have to set the kitchen timer to make sure everyone gets their equal share of back scratch bliss. When it is my turn to do the scratching, I start off very focused and intentional, trying to give the equivalent of what I hope to get in return. But after awhile, I often find my attention beginning to drift. I may start daydreaming or thinking about other things. When this happens, I am usually snapped out of my reverie when the scratchee complains that I’m not moving around enough. What started off feeling nice has actually begun to hurt as the Colorado River of my fingernails slowly but surely etches the beginnings of a Grand Canyon into my loved one’s back. Yes, it feels good to scratch an itch, but if someone scratches the same place for too long, we begin to lose our sensitivity and may eventually experience real pain. When the scratching is done with care and attentiveness, it produces enormous pleasure but when it becomes a mindless and repetitive motion, it starts to hurt. Same behavior, opposite results, the primary difference being the degree of care and attention given. Well, the same is true for words. A word or phrase gains popularity when it scratches a timely itch in our collective psyche; it meets a real need by capturing the essence of an idea or insight whose time is ripe. Over time, however, repeated use of this word may eventually produce a mental numbness, and then even psychic pain as it becomes cliché or develops undesirable connotations that may actually be contrary to its original meaning. Words die when they are not nurtured by the care and attention of a culture that sustains them and gives them lasting meaning. They are like seeds thrown out onto an asphalt parking lot: Even though they contain the very essence of life itself, they are . . . To read the rest of this article, subscribe to Natural Life's digital edition, which includes access to this and other back issues. Jim Strickland lives in Everett, Washington with his wife Dana and three children. He is a community-based educator in nearby Marysville and works to create democratic, non-coercive learning opportunities. He is also a community organizer and local promoter of sustainable living and invites reader response at livedemocracy@hotmail.com. |
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