Throughout our history we as specie have held within us a tremendous urge for self expression; from this urge an unrelenting need to communicate emerges. And it is this need, which is fragmented into a more astonishing, complex and vibrant particle of mixed flavour which culminate in a single feeling of actualization. What it sows within us are a set of universal questions: Who am I? Who needs to know? Why do they need to know? How will they find out? How do I want them to respond? Individuals, communities, and civilizations express their individuality through their identity. On the continuum from the cave paintings at Ajanta to short contorted messages transmitted via satellite, humanity continues to create an infinite sensory palette of visual and verbal expression.
“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”
-Rudyard Kipling
Now what sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom is the 3 pounds worth of calcium in our heads that we more commonly call as “Brain”, it is this piece of calcium that enabled a feeble creature like man to surpass our predecessors and develop into one of the most dominating specie that this blue rock has seen.
But then what helped us evolve into such a force, it can’t just be the survival instinct, can it?
Well our survival instinct did contribute, but what really made the difference was our ability to communicate, express and share our knowledge with the like minded creatures around us.
“There is more than a verbal tie between the words common, community, and communication.... Try the experiment of communicating, with fullness and accuracy, some experience to another, especially if it is somewhat complicated, and you will find your own attitude toward your experience changing.”
-John Dewey
With time the crude symbols, abstract drawings and sounds mimicking the nature were refined and replaced by Alphabets and Words, which were universally accepted and applicable within the given set of geographical limitations. Later on these groups of words went on to become the language of the land, which not only gave us our own unique identity and personality but also united us under one roof.
So it is but obvious that our love towards language is not just a passing romance, but a never-ending obsession which will continue to enthral, attract and create individuals who will devote their lives towards mastering the very essence of one’s language, works of very a great men can be cited here who have spent their lives understanding the nuances of the very language they speak. From Confucius to Shakespeare, from Tagore to Toby Litt, all in their own capacities have and are contributing to the vast ocean of Human Knowledge using language as a tool.
These men who have invested their lives into refinement and preservation of this cultural heritage and in process have at time broken the tangible and intangible boundaries of society by their works which shake up an entire society from its roots, what do they gain from such an act? What motivates them to go beyond the stereotypical nomenclatures of our society? What benefit do they derive by putting their lives and the ones they love on the line just the sake of their devotion?
“The word of man is the most durable of all material”
Well there has to be something greater than what a commoner’s brain could materially quantify something more than a mere satisfaction of completing their work. It is a form of elevated ecstasy which sets the creator on a pedestal from which he finds himself detached from the rudimentary issues and achievements of a common man, perhaps a Psychological Orgasm!!!
And this form of unorthodox orgasm is experienced by almost all of us at various levels, in various situations in life, depending upon the inherent personality of the person.
For instance, when we express or share our thoughts, our feelings with someone, which we had encapsulated within the walls of our psychological dungeon, we feel a sense of relief which at times cannot be put forth in words or expressed in actions, it is to be experienced, it is nothing else but an form of an Orgasm that we go through.
If a person who likes to talk a bit more than your average sane man is forced to keep his words to himself, he would be able to successfully complete this activity, but he will always be on the lookout of that one opportunity where he could talk freely, about anything and everything around him or her, this is because he is so addicted to be expressive that such pockets of lifeless silence are virtually suffocating him or her and that one moment where he gets to blurt things out, he feels an inflated relief a Virtual Orgasm....
A person who has command over multiple languages feels the same kind of ecstasy when he converses in those languages, this feeling is contributed by a host of factors; ability to converse in multiple dialects, respect for the language, appreciation for that language, command over the language etc...
“Language is the armoury of the human mind, and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future conquests.”
-Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Every person whether by choice or chance experiences such ecstasy, it is the inherent nature of our species, the degree of intensity may vary from one person to another but the fact remain we all have a Linguistic Orgasm.....
