The Unberable Lightness of Words

I know it is a bit lazy and trite to make use of the title of Kundera’s wonderful book for my own purposes.  However, it makes a point that I want to take advantage of. 

When people take words as set, plain and simple, unchanging things, words become light.  When words become detached from the ideas that they represent, words become light.  When the distance between words and things, which is bridged by ideas, is ignored or forgotten, words become light.  Language becomes dysfunctional and ineffective, when words become light.  This situation is untenable; it is unbearable.

Words have become light and flimsy things.  Well to be fair, many words have almost always been used primarily in a light way.  Sometimes that is good, and sometimes it is bad.  It of course depends on the context.  Everyday words are used very lightly and understandably so.  We know what water and pens are and can use the words in a light way.  In both cases, using the words—and thoughts that the ideas and physical things they are both attached to—usually does not require a heavy word or deep understanding of the word/idea/thing.  In everyday use, light words make daily life easier and help it run smoothly.  It is not on that level that I am criticizing the lightness of words.  I don’t think we need to think seriously about water every time we ask for a glass of it at a restaurant or about a pen every time we need to ask to borrow one to write something down.

The dangers arise when words are always used in a light way and taken to be essentially light things; that is I want to focus on.  When we disagree about the use or meaning of words, the words need to me taken seriously, and we need to realize that they are heavy things that are tied to ideas and physical objects or realities: physical things.  Those physical things are not directly represented by the words; the words represent the ideas.  The ideas are a result of the interpretation and understanding of the physical things.  The words are not the ideas—just as the ideas are not the things—but they are used to represent them as a sort of shorthand or symbol. 

When we forget that the words are only a representation of an idea—interpretation or understanding—, then words become light and to a certain extent they become meaningless in their connection to the physical word.  If the physical word changes, the light word will no longer be able to allow us meaningful and productive interaction with the world (or with other people).  If the idea changes, or people that you are interacting with have different ideas attached to the words (or to the physical objects/ realities) and the word and user of the word don’t take notice, then the word becomes somewhat useless.  In fact, it becomes worse than useless; it becomes a center of misunderstanding and maybe even conflict.  When we fail to realize that some disagreements are the result of more than just ignorance of the facts or plain stupidity, we take words as essentially light things.  We fail to realize that some disagreements are the result of differences in the words that stem from differences in ideas and interpretations of physical things. 

It is not every day that we need to feel the weight of words: the chain that ties them to ideas and through ideas to the physical world.  But if we never feel the weight of words they will evaporate into a mist.  They will lose their usefulness and relevance.  Though we may not feel the weight of words often, we must never forget that they are always heavy things, even when we use them lightly.  The background awareness of how heavy language is will keep the words from evaporating, even if we don’t often consider or feel the weight of them. 

To make use of Kundera’s title can be using his words in either a light or heavy way.  If I were using them just to get your attention and draw you in with something familiar and deep sounding, then it would be light.  That is not my reason for choosing my title. 

Kundera’s novel deals with issues of choice, significance, meaning and reoccurrence (much of it in response or in opposition to the ideas of Nietzsche).  The benefits and drawbacks of lightness and heaviness are explored in the novel, and it is that exploration and tension that I wish to make reference to by using Kundera’s words as a title for my here.  I may or may not agree with the conclusions that he and his characters come to in the book, but it is an exploration that does not dodge important questions and feelings. 

When we use words we should, at least occasionally, take time to explore the difficult questions of the lightness and heaviness of them and not dodge the issue.  We should never forget that words and language are heavy things and need to be respected as such.