Theos-Talk Archives (August 1995 Message tl00131)

According to Arthur Paul Patterson:

>I have been a bit silent on the list lately. Mostly reading and
responding to e-mail but I thought I would like to share with
fellow Theosophists a confession concerning words. I am not
suggesting anyone is misusing words only that I struggle as a
"word child".

I've missed your contributions, but appreciate how you feel:

>expression. Words are both clear and concise and easily
misconstrued. They conceal as much as they reveal.

It's truly astounding to me, and I suppose to most authors, how
many unintended messages people can extract from my writings. No
matter how much effort you put into being clear, you still end up
ambiguous-- words being the frail vessels they are.

>The gift of joy torn tears is a superior heart language to all
my words. But this gift has not as yet been given and is beyond
the grace received. Understand when my awkward, halting words,
even on the most mundane subjects, stumble from my pen and mouth
- that they are trying to carry too much, having reached their
limit exhausted. Word weary, I yearn for the medicine of
interchange. The word child, so independent and strong, desires
accepting unity. Instead of acknowledging that, my words play
tricks and spin their themes and ideas in a calcified key.

>Requested love, the wordless subtext, is afraid to be sentenced
and settles for eloquent babble. Bubble words take their
unsatisfied bow instead of risking the hope of Grace. I would
like to but can't bring myself to place a moratorium on words
like these. Word famished I await Spirit's gift of love.

Perhaps there is some solace to be found in the fact that the
Internet has caused a tremendous upsurge in both people's desire
and effort to make themselves understood, and the volume of
misunderstandings in the world. The two go hand in hand. At
some point, we are pushed to a higher level where "understanding"
is not of the mind but of the spiritual soul. The rays only
break through the clouds briefly and infrequently, but posts like
yours are examples that it can happen.