Thursday, September 29, 2011

It's only Words...


Writing is an essential life task for me, something that is very important for me as it gives me the vent I need to maintain my self and sanity. It is also my most important medium of self-expression. If I have not written for a long time, I feel restless, as if all the words stored inside of me will bubble out incoherently, toppling over each other in their haste to escape the confines of my mind and heart. I feel the incessant urge to write, to express my thoughts and feelings. And this blog is my one way of doing so, of arranging all those words in a semblance of coherence, of permutations that allow for self-expression and revelation. Words are a precious resource, our only commodity of exchange that we use to create mutual understanding and empathy.

Oftentimes, I talk to people who tell me that they don’t write (or read) much. And I can only think of the wealth they are missing. Isn’t everything we do, say, feel… just words? All my joys and sorrows, all my feelings, thoughts, ideas, expressions, sentences, pain, love, hate, emotion… aren’t words the only way to say it all? Even though, in the immortal words of Jagjit Singh, kaun kehta hai ki mohabbat ki zubaan hoti hai, ye haqeeqat to nigaahon se bayaan hoti hai…


The entire internet is based on only words. It is all about content- words that grip, entrance, captivate! Nowadays, a lot of my reading is on the internet, blogs and thoughts and articles of people. And I can’t help but admire them, people who use words to such effect. Who create and influence using words written somewhere on the internet. The writing can be inspirational, effective, motivational, controversial- whatever. But it makes me think. It creates an impact. I am the kind of person to whom words matter, be they written or spoken.

That’s what Twitter is, isn’t it. We click and read stuff we like and if we really like it, we retweet it because we want the world to read the same amazing stuff. We only follow people whose words we like to read. We read blogs we like and identify with. We link to articles that are good.

The power of words is endless. Words are a double-edged sword, while they can uplift and motivate, influence, they can also tear and rent apart, they can destroy and annihilate. They make us laugh and cry. Words are the only means we have to communicate- and if we stop communicating, the world ends right there. Words can be a bridge and a chasm. Words can be everything and nothing. Words can bind forever and break forever. And yet, words are all we have.

Of course, you know where this is leading. Towards It's Only Words. Because words are truly all we have. To tell each other everything. To listen to. To understand and feel and empathize and take our hearts away….



2 comments:

Natascha Thomson said...

Great blog post. I love to write as well.

I think some people are afraid to put their thoughts out publicly; it does require the strength to deal with negative responses.

My challenge is to make the time. I love to write and blog but my day job tends to get in the way!

Keep it up,

Natascha

Rachna said...

@Natascha- Thanks a lot! Yes, it does take strength to put one's thoughts/emotions out in public. But I feel so good after ranting here, that its all worth it ;-)