Observation changes the event,
expression changes the thought
but the event does not exist without observation and thought – without expression.
Observation is an integral part of an event, as language is of thought,
they give them their shape.
Good and evil,
mind and body,
love and hate –
they are just words
simplifying the complexity of experience into language.
And yet they determine who we are and what we do.
When as a child you look into the world
the magic of reality is there.
The world is fluid,
boundaries – weak,
cause and effect – unclear and remote…
The world is full of patterns to discover,
it’s varied and exciting to behold,
but also frightening…
and you begin
the job of organizing your impressions
in surfaces and colours,
when collected,
they can define the things;
you give them names,
the names are then collected once again
and through another level of abstraction
form into language –
so much more useful
than spots and lines,
but so much more rigid –
the magic’s almost gone…
You look again,
look carefully –
it’s bleeding through the edges,
it’s seeping in through places of confusion,
creating chaos,
giving you the option
to see new things,
to name them, change the rules,
expand the language
and the world we live in…
The spiral turns again.
Language is just as much an instrument for seeing as eyes are.
Look at things – and you will see the world.
Look for things – and all you will see is the inside of your head.
What is it that makes us human?
Is it soul,
technology,
the use of handkerchiefs
or two types of forks?
I think it is language, for it gives us empathy;
the ability to see through other’s eyes
and hence the ability to see something truly new.
Look through the eyes of an artist – it will give you the joy of creating a world.
Look through the eyes of history – it will give you the desire for changing the world.
Look through the eyes of a child – it will give you a reason for changing yourself.
There is nothing silly or capricious about nonsense.
Nonsense is a way of expanding our language.
To create a coherent description of reality, we have to use a precise language
which, by definition, limits our description by its grammar and vocabulary.
But reality bleeds through the edges, frightening and fascinating,
creating chaos and, at the same time, the opportunity to expand our language
and – therefore – our world.
