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,
please
subscribe to Natural Life Magazine's
digital edition, which includes back issue access.
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.
