[From Marsha \u2013 below is an idea that appealed to me. Long ago when my father used words I was unfamiliar with, I\u2019d ask him the meaning and he\u2019d just say, \u201cI don\u2019t know but it sounds right.\u201d He was usually correct, but how often there is more than one meaning to a word; and so what are we communicating to another.\u00a0\u00a0 Once in college I was given a list of words to discover what they meant to different people.\u00a0\u00a0 After many conversations, I wondered how we ever understand each other at all. Since I transcribed this little excerpt, I have been looking up the meaning of words which is so easy now with our computers and iphones.\u00a0\u00a0 So having said that, here is the delightful idea from a long ago workshop.]<\/p>\n
Someone in the audience must have said.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWell, I find that the ideas I get are very valuable\u2026..\u00a0\u00a0 (the question was inaudible)<\/p>\n
Well an idea is a picture in the mind and a picture in the mind is an idea if you want to use that particular definition. Did you look idea up in the dictionary?\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0It\u2019s most interesting if you\u2019d care to look up a series of words. Start off with the word \u201cidea\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 Then look up the word \u201cIdeal\u201d \u2013 it might lead you to the word \u201cfantasy\u201d. It might lead you to a lot of things because there\u2019s a word in there that describes that you only think you know the meaning of. So start off with the dictionary and see where it leads you.<\/p>\n
Last week we were down in Albuquerque and some lady got up and said, \u201cWould you recommend the best book for us to read because I\u2019m just so tired of reading book after book \u2013 what\u2019s the best book?\u201d \u00a0I said, \u201cthe dictionary \u2013 it\u2019s got all the words in it you could ever want.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 She thought I was being a \u201csmarty\u201d; but I still think it\u2019s the best, if you\u2019re gonna read a book.<\/p>\n
If you really understood all the meanings of words, you\u2019d be a lot less confused because we have only conceived the meaning of the words we use; and we misuse words all the time.<\/p>\n
[from Marsha \u2013 Now when someone uses a word I\u2019m not familiar with or a word that could have more than one meaning, I ask \u2013 \u201cWhat does that word mean to you.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Some examples of words that I have asked of people is faith, happiness, authority, and sometimes even god refraining from my opinion. I just want to hear what their\u2019s is.\u00a0\u00a0 So you can experiment with it during your conversations with others.\u00a0\u00a0 It is really fun and quite enlightening \u2013 not to judge their definition, but to have a clearer understanding between you.]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[From Marsha \u2013 below is an idea that appealed to me. Long ago when my father used words I was unfamiliar with, I\u2019d ask him the meaning and he\u2019d just say, \u201cI don\u2019t know but it sounds right.\u201d He was … Continue reading