Beliefs Are Not Tattoos
Master the words, and you’ll master the world
“It’s hard, it’s tough, and it demands a lot of work.
You know it.
But you don’t have to tell it to everyone. Let them think you were born with it.”
Ernest Hemingway said a version of this — same sentiment; different words. In essence, expressing yourself vocally, verbally, or via words ‘sucks’!
I can’t count the number of times I found myself at a loss of words to express my feelings. I am in no way claiming I have felt thing others haven’t. But, I can say I tried a lot harder to put those feelings into words. On good days I’ll notice how the ability to express a feeling precisely can disarm conflicts before they even start, and then there were other days. Oh! The marvellous world of words!
Yet, many times, my words have failed the emotions they were supposed to convey. There is an adage, “A bad workman quarrels with his tools,” and I did that too. Intermittently, I believed that feelings are to felt and not to rendered into mere words.
Then, I would read/watch something that will make my heart melt into a puddle. It will become apparent the words run the world, and I will get back to flirting with words as I channel feelings on paper that I thought wasn’t designed for words. Thankfully, beliefs are not tattoos.
Have a look at this clip that I discovered from Ameen Haque’s “Talks at Google”. Can you notice why impactful stories are not just truth, but they are visceral, empathetic, and well-told too?
