I am a lover of words. I have always enjoyed writing and my love of it grows more every day. I haven't always been so keen on reading, but I slowly am learning to love it too; you can't have one without the other. For as long as I can remember, whenever I find an idea that really interests me, I have these one-sided dialogues in my head to expound on the interesting thought. These speeches to myself eventually evolved into this blog, to describe and share ideas and events that pertain to my life-- and hopefully to others' lives as well. But every once in a while I'll run across something that I can't accurately describe. It's not just that I am incapable of forming the right order of words (although sometimes that may be the case), but instead that I will have stumbled upon a part of being human that cannot be done justice by words alone.
A few days ago I tried to make a couple of lists; who doesn't love a good list, right? I tried to describe a person's essential being: their personality, likes and dislikes, quirks, associations, everything in a mere 20 items. Sure, you can do that, but it seems a bit cruel-- taking everything you love about yourself or another person and reducing to simple words. While I can pick a bunch of adjectives that describe me to some extent, I can't fully encompass my "me-ness" (or "human-ness" if you prefer) with words alone. It's some combination of words and thoughts and feelings, interactions and associations, environment and choices. Each person is indescribable.
Are you jumping on my We Can't Describe Everything boat yet? No? How about another example. Though many have tried and a few have come close, analogies, metaphors, and eloquently worded sonnets cannot quite describe the first time you hold hands with someone. Clichés like having your heart skip a beat and having butterflies in your stomach are well known for a reason. They are close to describing the feeling. But there's still something missing. It's exciting and terrifying, lovely and comforting, and pretty much every other emotion you can throw in there. But you can't wrap up every feeling and every thought of that moment with words.
And what about music? I can feel a piece of music. I can play it. I can (and do) get emotionally invested in it. I can tell people how amazing and awe-inspiring it is. I can learn the history behind it. I can analyze it. But I can't begin to describe it. If I could transfer all the hours of rehearsal-- individual and communal, filled with frustrations and triumphs-- to you through my words, I would. If I could bring you on the emotional journey of the piece by talking you through it, I would. But the reality is, I can't. You have to listen to it for yourself, and that's the beauty of it. I can't describe it.
So what do we do with these things that humans cannot describe with words? We innovate. We create new words and phrases that get us one step closer to fully describing said things. More art (that also cannot be described) is made, but it helps us to understand life a bit better as our minds make connections. Most of all, we try. Whether success or failure awaits us, we try to share our experience in this life with others through words. That's the mystery and the balance of it all. We use words to describe, but also to describe that we cannot describe.
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