Words

Words are tricky things.
It is difficult to get them to say exactly what I want. Individual words carry connotations which vary not only with the person hearing them but also with the context and ideas which they have in mind at the time. Sentences (should) only carry a single thought and therefore ignore all the other inter-related aspects which impact on the underlying idea.
There is this whole mental construct with a myriad of implications and ramifications, multiple different aspects to be explored; and it can only be passed on through a single linear stream of variable symbols. Whatever is said, it leaves out so much and implicitly orders the remainder so that an unnatural prioritisation is applied.
Following one train of thought means neglecting all the other possible paths. But all facets are important to faithfully transmit the underlying concept. For anything but the most basic of ideas, what is communicated is, at best, a rough outline and at worst a completely distorted view.
There are, of course, other communication methods – most of which revolve around pictures or diagrams. These 2D mechanisms are better but can only be used in specific circumstances. But they are not generally useful in normal conversation.
Part of the purpose of this blog is for me to practice expressing complex concepts in this sort of linear fashion. When running an idea through my head I will often chase down the various chains and linkages to explore all sides of an idea. Where the idea came from, both in the context of why I am thinking it and conceptual pieces which compose it. The logical consequences and the other ideas that flow from it. The inter-relationships with other conceptual structures.
Trying to order all this in my head is difficult and can take some time – picking words and making connections to properly express the idea to myself. And when I have worked through it all and find the concept is fully formed, all these words and images are no longer necessary and the framework disappears. However then, for whatever reason, it becomes necessary to make someone else aware of the implications. The whole thought process needed to be re-constructed; preferably without all the false starts and doubling back.
What I am trying to do here is get the process done in appropriate words the first time so that I can avoid the re-work later. This does double duty of getting it out of my head so that I don’t keep running over the same old ground. However, the ideas that do occur to me are likely to be a fairly eclectic bunch since the driver for doing this is not so much the ideas themselves but the process.