When words[1]
are used as a means of cross-cultural communication, people
tend to hit a wall of limitations. We find it difficult to express
even a fraction of our thoughts in words, and words are merely
one aspect of a broad communication context that conveys meaning[2],
much of which is nonverbal. It’s indeed a challenge to use either
the spoken or written word to communicate our ideas to others.
It appears that only when we strive to connect with the “heart”
of another person the repository of his or her deep and sincere
feelings and beliefs, the wellspring of individual character,
intellect and imagination can we truly begin to understand the
“heart” that resides in his or her words.
We at ISS believe that
both the heart and mind of words are vital to language communication.
Abstract Affect of
Words
America’s great social reformer and civil libertarian, Helen
Keller, became blind and deaf from an acute illness 19 months
after her birth. As a result, she was unable to speak for
the next 8 years of her life. She was nevertheless able to
overcome these great barriers to communication, becoming a
world-renowned lecturer on the rights of handicapped citizens.
Through Keller's writings we obtain a sense of the depth of
her understanding of words as a communications medium, and
we gain the following insight:
“While words are convenient,
when these sound and light wave stimuli called ‘words’ reach
the cerebrum through an individual’s nervous system, certain
information is abstracted from the words entirely on a subconscious
level. Through these abstract affections, only a partial truth
is conveyed to the conscious mind, leaving true understanding
to reside in extreme obscurity amid the world of words. Therefore,
words are markedly inferior to the non-verbal realm and to
silence that surpasses words. Communication through words
only expresses a very small part of the truth. “
We think that to correct
the type of instantaneous and erroneous cerebral judgment
described by Keller a result of abstracting words through
one’s unconscious and often-unreliable mental or emotional
states it’s important to cultivate an attitude of what might
be termed “ethical listening.” This is defined as
a rational, nonjudgmental state of heightened consciousness
from which one can begin a probative search for the truth,
the intended message, which lies behind and within those abstract
symbols called “words.” We at ISS consider this
sense of ethics to be our guiding principle for understanding
one another.
Unity of Body and Mind
Through recent advances in quantum theory, we’ve come to understand
that matter and energy are not separate; they’re interchangeable.
We now recognize that the body and mind are interconnected,
and that the bserver affects that which is observed. We find
that consciousness and intent affect the outcome of events.
We find that the strength of consciousness and intent the
stronger the better have an effect on events.
As Danish Nobel Prize-winning
theoretical physicist Niels Bohr once said, “Some of
the movements in the world of atoms clarify their specific
existence only when people make a conscious observation. Otherwise,
under normal conditions, their presence isn’t clear.”
Science now confirms that things often happen because we think
or hope they will. Laboratory experiments demonstrate that
negative thinking can produce biochemical changes, and even
disease, in our bodies. In reality, people who think they
can accomplish something if they only put their mind to it
can indeed accomplish it. People who think they’re healthy
do live longer than others.
ISS believes that a
positive life based on the philanthropic ideals of friendship,
benevolence, altruism, virtue and consideration for others
is certainly more enjoyable and clearly more wholesome than
the use of negative energy to accomplish our goals. We believe
in the ultimate reward of being able to help others while
we refine our own mental self-discipline in furtherance of
precision and subtlety in communication.
We at ISS believe that
exploring the heart of words, nurturing a strong sense of
ethics and practicing philanthropic discipline are corporate
assets that must be cherished in our lifework as communications
specialists, language specialists,
interpreters and translators.
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[1]:
Word: A sound or combination of sounds, or its written representation,
that symbolizes or communicates a meaning.
[2]:
Meaning: The idea that is conveyed by something such as a
word, an action, a gesture, or a situation.
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