The Limits of Language

The terms and images that we apply to things are powerful because they in turn shape our actions.

What we call strengths are often weaknesses and what are called weaknesses can be strengths. The organization may be the picture of disorganization. The machinery of power doesn't resemble a machine and the people are far from easily replaceable parts.

We talk of business and advertising campaigns and evoke war, ingredients and evoke cooking, and experiments and evoke science; all in an effort to bring order to our thoughts.

And, of course, they frequently bring anything but clarity.

It is difficult to be immune to such self-deception but we can periodically review the assumptions hidden in our language. If we don't, we risk wandering down paths (another image!) that we don't wish to explore.