That said, I would like to add that there is so much we can do without words. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say, and that could take care of this entire blog post, but that isn't what I'm getting on about.
Basically, I wanted to comment on our ability to communicate with each other without words. Take, for example, the look you give your best friend when they sneak an inside joke into your conversation with an outside party very subtly. It's a specific look, unique to each person, and yet the best friend understands because they know you. Or when you visit another country where the only words you know are "please", "thank you", and "where is the bathroom?". Or, in my dad's case with Spanish, "another beer please", and "where are my children?". If you do ask where the bathroom is and can't understand the answer, a gesture usually works. A smile can tell you a person's mood, and their shifty eyes can tell you to get away, now.
On a recent trip to South America, I found myself in such a boat (which is actually a funny pun if you know that I was, indeed, on a ship). I understand enough Spanish to get by as long as the other party speaks slowly. If you've ever tried to learn another language, though, you know that the native speakers are MUCH faster at talking than you are at processing and translating. That was how it was with me, and I found myself playing charades more often than not--another example of being able to speak without speaking.
I suppose what I am trying to say is that I love communication--all forms of it (though especially the written word). It is a fantastic natural phenomenon that every creature shares, and if I lived in a perfect world my time would be devoted entirely to its study. As it is, I find myself pondering it with frequency.
For now, my words have run out and my pondering has begun. And so after all this talk about wordless communication, I feel the need to part with this:
Words rule.
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