Talk about powerful imagery:
This image was shared on Reddit and it’s meaning is pretty obvious. If you want your brand to be trusted, then you need to incorporate meaning into everything that you do. When your meaning is diluted by an overplay of words, then trust becomes an issue. Words are easy to pollute. A twist of an adjective, or a powerful combination of words that bring up a hidden meaning, and you can pretty much turn anything into the best or the worst…depending on what you mean.
As a wordsmith, I tend to care about words that I combine. I know the power that words contain, and think carefully before I deploy a conversation. What I put out there is just my side of the conversation, and I really hope to get into more open two-way communications. Granted the blogging format does make it difficult since there are so many who want their words to supersede, obfuscate, or simply sell.
This is the problem that we have in our structured world. Too many organizations and institutions put too much stock into words. And the words that they use are typically so twisted that you have to dig deep and think hard to understand why they present the combination in the manner that they do. Case in point: Word of Law. This is probably the single-most dedicated grouping that seeks to complicate words, so we need to look beyond the words and follow their extended actions (track record) to understand their motive. Usually, the motive is selfish and limited. These are the types of words that shouldn’t carry exalted meaning. We need to change our reaction to them if we have any hope of change. Our world can be built on a much better foundation than this.
Sometimes, the powerless cannot win in a fight of words. In this case, actions tell a lot about a person. Take this, for instance (source):
This is a new method of speaking without speaking. Actually, it’s not all that new because it’s been done by people for centuries. And it is still an effective way of getting your meaning across. Especially when the word game is fixed so that you can’t beat it.
So, if you are in the game of using words, think deeply about how you use them, because there will always be unintended consequences when you least expect it. It’s those consequences that the rest of us have to live with. When meaning overrides that of another’s, then it’s probably not a good course of action to follow. If you care.
