Some Amazing Things About Language

    While having a cup of coffee at Starbucks recently a young man next to me carefully marked his place in the book he was reading and commented that the written word was amazing and that it had saved him. Trying to be kind, but at the same time avoid what was probably going to be a self indulgent disclosure of some tragic event in his life, I responded with a noncommittal,
    "That's good, I'm happy for you."
   Unfortunately he was not put off, and as he told me about his past drug addiction and jail time he pushed the book he had been reading closer and I could see it was a Bible. He finished his story by commenting again on the amazing power of the written word and waited for me to open the door for his chance to save my soul.
     Now, I respect others perspectives and religious beliefs, but having been subjected to hundreds of pitches to join everything from multi-level marketing efforts promising quick riches, to evangelical recruitments promising eternal life, I have become dubious about conversations like the one the young man was trying to initiate. The amazing power of the word he was talking about was the word of God, but the actual words he was referring to were the result of writings by many individuals spread over six hundred years and translated from Greek and Aramaic into hundreds of other languages over nearly two thousand years and the words that were now setting on a small table next to me at Starbucks.
     The young man obviously found the book amazing because, for him, it was a kind of magical code for behavior and salvation, I found the book amazing because it exemplified the human trick of coding meaningful speech sounds into visual symbols that no longer drifted away in the wind but lasted through time for future humans to scan with their eyes and re-translate into meaningful sounds. To me the miracle of the book he was pushing at me was not God talking to people but the ability of humans to speak to other humans in the future, an amazing quality of all books.
     As I pondered the many amazing things about communications between plants, animals and humans I remained silent and the young man, fearing he had lost the opportunity to fulfill his obligation to save my soul, repeated his opening statement loudly hoping to interrupt my reverie. This time his loud and insistent announcement that, ' the word was an amazing thing', got the attention of many others enjoying coffee and a quiet conversation. He was now holding up the Bible and I was suddenly on center stage at Starbucks being threatened with a Holy book by a militant evangelist.
      "Admit it," he repeated. "The word of God is amazing."
Without thinking I responded in an equally loud voice.
     "What's amazing is that we can exchange complex ideas by vibrating the air between us"
There was a smattering of applause and laughter from other customers and the young man pulled his book back, opened it to his marked place as if looking for the ultimate proof needed to force his religion on me, and went silent. Soon after he closed his magical book without having turned a page and left the coffee shop without vibrating any air between us.
      Other than the few who have attacked me with weapons when I resisted their attempts to save my soul, I hold no ill feelings toward those who feel compelled to bring everyone into their circle of beliefs and thank the young man at Starbucks for prompting me to examine language and communications from a new perspective. Nearly all living things communicate in some way or another and some leave traces, visual and scent, to be read by others in the future but only humans leave complex ideas and thoughts in electronic and graphic forms for other humans to open and read in the future. This nifty trick makes civilization possible and indeed amazing. A month from now I can return and read what I have just written and will be listening to my own voice from the past. "Amazing". I can also go to the library, walk between the racks and touch thousands of books waiting to be opened releasing the voices, ideas and wisdom of authors long dead. "Amazing".