Translating to Reality

Language is a strange and wonderful thing. It connects us to others, makes civilization possible and, like the air we breath, goes almost unnoticed. For humans its primary essential carrier is sound, (vibrations in the air). Sensativity to vibrations became a valuable survival trait very early in life's slow evolution. Even before living cells began to join and share functions, early bacteria developed primitive methods of monitoring and responding to their immediate surroundings. Evolution is driven by subtle advantages, introduced by chance, that are carried forward in nature's genetic language. As nature's language evolves it instructs each host cell how to grow and react. Instructions that degrade the host cells ability to survive also reduce the genetic pattern giving the instructions chances of survival. The language of life is modified when its instructions produce favorable or unfavorable living forms. Advances in detecting and differentiating subtle differnces in vibrational patterns have continually proven to be valuable and have been replicated and improved. After three and one half billion years of chance modifications being tested against changing environments the test results for vibrational sensitivity are in and have resulted in complex mamilian ears. The parallel evolution of mutualy beneficial traits is common, especially as multi celled organisims proved their worth in life's struggle against rapidly changing conditions. In humans the parallel evolution of an attuned ear with an articulate tongue proved especially beneficial. Being able to describe situations and to give directions gave cooperating humans an advantage over competing species. At first simple human languages were made up of only a few descriptive nouns and a few calls to action but it was a clear and powerful advantage. Language quickly became an advantage that promted continual refinment and the genetic traits that spell out the better ear and the more articulate tongue flourished. At first language was simple and spoken but with the first rough depiction of an animal scratched on a flat stone, language took on another dimension. The verbal sound coded to match a real animal was now also associated with a symbol, the symbol could evoke the sound and reading and written language were born. At first the scratches were primarily of objects with some showing action and common symbols developed. Tribal members capable of looking at the symbols and translating the visual into a verbal account were held in high regard as the process of making scratches on a stone talk seemed magical. Human language has evolved on its own to accomodate more than objects and actions and now encompasses ideas shapes, numerical relationships, and fantasies and the scratches on the stone have become symbols for sounds that have little or no pictorial accuracy. The learned now literally hear the symbols talk inside their head with no need for vibrations in the air and the trick is no longer one held solely by priests and the priviledged. Learning to read is now an essential ability necessary for societal functions but the translation process from symbol to sound hasn't changed. You learned whatever language you speek by listening to those around you. In school you learned to represent vowel and concenent sounds on paper by making scratches with a pencil. You then learned to translate the scratches back into sounds and made the scratches talk. Eventually you learned to let the symbols talk inside your head without verbalization, eliminating the need to vibrate the air with tounge lips and vocal chords in order to communicate. This silent method of communicating with scratches has advantages and disadvantages. It is not immediate and is innapropriate where spontinaity or an immediate response is required. Sending a note to someone instructing them to "Get Down" a bomb is about to go off, or texting your enjoyment during sex are obvious illustrations. Vibrating the air between us is still an essential method of exchanging information, be it face to face, public speeches, cheering at a sports event or calling your grandmother on the phone on her birthday. Scratch communications, (writing), has the advantage of permenance. Some American Indians called writing; "words that last". On the book shelf in front of me is a copy of "The Illiad", quietly waiting for me to open it and let Homer speak directly to me, without vibrating the air. As long as I can translate the scratches on the page into my inner voice, Homer and hundreds of thousands of others from the past can speek to me. Learning to translate symbols to sound, blueprints to a building, instructions into actions, and ideas into reality, is the trick that sustains us as superior to other life forms and at the same time makes us the most dangerous life form on the planet. Of the three mandates evolution has placed on us; "Explore and learn, Be of good council, and Be a good Steward, being of good council (respecting the gift of language) may be the more important as we translate our beliefs, our ideas, and our attitudes into reality.