Week 12 - The Eleventh Blog

As I read through this week's blogs I was struck by Tyler's phrase, "bumbling human language." It is bumbling, isn't it. The reason we're always striving to find exactly the right word when we speak or write, the reason that writers struggle for years sometimes in trying to communicate a thought (a creative thought?) or image (a creative image?). The reason that, for those skillful enough, painting or drawing is often the preferred medium for communicating emotion. But symbols, too, have a way of being misinterpreted by the audience. Much of what we deem as ART, though, are attempts at communication through various mediums; a communication prompted by a creative force. But in analysing our bumbling language, we often receive some intriguing insights into that force. The word "inspiration" for example, literally means "the act of breathing in or inhaling." (Breathing in what, we may ask?). "Ecstasy," a word often used to describe a feeling of accomplishment (and yes, an ASC) comes from a Latin root meaning "to stand to the side." Csikszentmihalyi notes that sports arenas, theatres, and temples from all cultures throughout the ages have functioned as ways "to stand to the side" of everyday routines, everyday reality.
Other species do not have the same level of communication mediums as human beings do. Most other species, though, (at least the ones I can think of) don't seem to create for ecsatsy or for entertainment, but create purely for survival. Even a playful puppy is practicing some sort of survival skill. But other species, unlike the human species, are not attempting to be better than their counterparts. A dog might be trained to do what pleases his owner, but he will not behave in a way to try to make himself better than another dog. Human beings spend a lot of time attemping to "be better."
Perhaps not succeeding in "being better" is one of the major roots of sadness. Josh discusses his sadness when attempting to be the perfect - fill-in -the-blank. But perhaps it's not perfection we strive for, just "betterness." Is that what creativity boils down to? An attempt at bettering ourselves or our society? Has that become the main function of language? Of art? Questions, not statements, but something to ponder.