Language is used to communicate with others, words and the capability to form sentences help to formulate ideas and thoughts, making them easier to get across to others and ourselves. It makes it possible to express the concepts that we may understand but can’t put a finger on it. Sometimes concepts, feelings and thoughts can be like that thing you are trying to touch in your dream, but cannot quite reach it. The anxiety of knowing but not being able to tell what it is that you know, can be comforted by the beautiful friend, Language.

Language fills that gap between thinking and expressing.

Language is an art of expression and knowing different languages give you the ability to interact and understand people who speak those languages. Knowing many languages means an opportunity to go beyond the experience of your mother tongue and having the wings to explore different worlds of experiences and perspectives.

“आई” and “Mother” have the same meaning but the signature that “आई” has on my mind is much more intimate and embedded in my foundation as an individual. It is the power of mother tongue which we hear when we are new to this world and our foundation, subconscious is building.

Familiarization with the words Mother, मां, માતા, आई, मातृ, mère can help me to empathize with other people’s experience of the same word, same concept but a different background. It’s a superpower that leads to empathy, compassion, kindness, and the feeling of oneness, a realization of our shared humanity no matter which language we speak.

Not sure, when a sinister thing happened and language started to mean something else other than a device for communication. Its representation became more about class and status, determinant of development, literacy and rank; it became a sign of privilege, an entry ticket, an assigned identity.

Which language you speak, how do you pronounce, do you have an accent, how is your accent perceived by the majority, How many languages can you speak, Are those languages among the desired languages of this economical, commercial, capitalist ‘global’ world?

The above questions do not need to be answered as they are not really important when it comes to expressing ideas, thoughts, and concepts. The goal of language and expression is making sure that anything which is born inside of you as a gift for this world, takes birth in this world.

The questions questioned before may still arise time to time and you may be judged for that accent, for not knowing that most spoken language of your time, for not having the most “accepted” language as your mother tongue, for not knowing more than one language.

However,

Expressing what is meant to be expressed is the main priority, always; which tool is used and how it is used does not really matter until the flower bloomed was from the original intended seed.

Big words and complicated sentences are not the showstoppers of the written text. The context of the words and the honesty of the pen make the read significant. It gives the reader, a comfort of the reminder of our shared humanity and the joy, suffering, loss and strangeness of our beautiful existence.

Language is not a limiting factor; rather it’s the most incredible gift that can liberate you. You may get answers for your strangest experiences in distant languages. Weltschmerz is a German word that can loosely be translated as world pain, a feeling of melancholy and world-weariness. How beautiful it is to finally be able to put a word on something we all feel but cannot explain. Samadhi, Nirvana, Déjà vu are among many words that are an experience in themselves.

By exploring other languages, we might be able to uncover and understand another part of ourselves that we can’t explain right now.