Silence

“Let us be silent, for so are the gods.”

Emerson quoted this in his essay on Intellect. He argued that speaking defiles the pristine nature of observance; that the human intellect comes from our willingness to let the mind flow. Perhaps, to some extent, it is true (though it is an odd statement from a man who spoke so much). Working in insurance, I’ve always found it interesting how society has attempted to neatly package our chaotic world. We define this word in order to define another. We get into this mix of complex vocabulary to ensure there is no confusion about what we mean only to make it more confusing to the average person. Insurance policies appear to be largely sold to a consumer base that never even attempts to understand what they are buying. They buy because it is either mandated or because they have been told that it is a good idea, despite stories of the big bad insurance company. As soon as we go from watching how the world is to explaining how we see it, we falter. It is that one step between our divinely operative brains and humanity’s rickety construct of language where we find disconnect. The fallen Tower of Babel exemplifies that vanity.

                But, let me now use the written word to state that intellect is not an art. Art is creation – expression of our imperfect understanding of a world that either has no meaning or a meaning which is beyond comprehension. We make for ourselves our own meaning and it is the art of living, not sitting and simply being, that we should pursue. We build and share at the risk of misunderstanding, but to not do so would be a shame (there is no waste in a world without meaning, but I say it would still be a shame). I have been guilty of silence, but I do not advocate it. Still seek to understand, express yourself, and revel in imperfection.