On snobbishness or using what talent you possess…

[Slightly edited May 6]. Inspired by an article in the local newspaper.

Culture makes man human the author writes. All despite class, sex, ethnicity, shall already from the beginning get an honest chance to practice and acquaint themselves with creative ways of expression; as writing, painting, drawing, acting, filming, playing an instrument and so on. I would add: and be allowed to continue doing this and develop those skills throughout life if she or he wants and feel a joy and lust in it.

If more and more people in new generations (and in the old ones too) dare raising their voices and express themselves, breaking silence, re-establish and rehabilitate a little of their self-esteem a lot is won.

Not pushing people away or thrusting them aside but letting them in. Rather not discourage people when they try to express themselves, no matter how developed their ways of expression are, whether in written words (even in a foreign language) or in artistic expressions. Even if these expressions aren't "perfect." People should be encouraged instead. More people should raise their voices.

And, once again, it's by training you become more and more skillful in what you are doing, depending what your starting point was.

Yes, no matter what voice a person has she or he should be encouraged to use it. Not discouraged.

You can use your language in all those expressions as a way of excluding other people (for instance in the way you use language and how you resonate about it and how you react to other people's imperfect ways of using it).

From where does this snobbishness come?

"Use what talent you possess - the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best"

(Henry van Dyke).

More on language…

this sonata has actually nothing with moonlight to do! It was written after a close friend's death. And you can hear the fury in the last movement (see below). Are these things possible to express in words?? Are there things we can't express in words?

Are we really prepared to listen to a child’s trials to express what it has experienced and feels? Expressed with its “limited” language!

And are we prepared to listen to a grown up and what he/she actually is trying to say?
Or are we only prepared to listen to those with the best language?

AND to the most intelligent (at least the seemingly most intelligent)? Whom we admire a lot?
So long as the other person isn’t really mean or harming, why don’t we, shouldn’t we?

Putting some (or many) things in words isn’t easy. Putting certain things in words IS difficult, and sometimes even impossible! But it isn’t sure all people have difficulties with the same things! Or have any significant difficulties expressing themselves at all (but they are quite few)? Probably depending on their history and experiences up until now?

When we aren’t really heard many of us tend to use more and more words? Either in speech or written words? Or both? When we are speaking for deaf ears we use more and more words?

If we aren’t heard either by other people or/and by ourselves? Maybe we need to use all those words until we get heard by other people and/or ourselves? And need to search ourselves forward with the language we have (for the moment)? We can have deaf ears for ourselves too? Be blind for actual opportunities of different kinds too and for actual, genuine appreciation and liking, sometimes even love that is in reach? If so, isn’t that sad? Maybe even very sad? In the worst cases walking a whole long life without realizing what we could have gotten and achieved?

Maybe we need to express things in spoken and/or written words until we hear or see what we are saying?

And nobody stands up there with a perfect language, as a perfect musician (or anything else), no matter how talented we are or were from the beginning. Even if not so few thinks so, even among grown up people! Even among “intelligent” people! In music we will never get full learned!

Even the most talented need exercise and training! Even a Mozart needed! And he got that exercise very early in life! But what did he suffer? A training a Beethoven never got? The former produced a lot of music very easily and quickly, and the latter struggled very hard. But he too produced fantastic, great music (in many persons’ eyes - and ears)!

Language and talents…

More loud thinking (quite ironical): emotional language is put lower than intellectual. Emotions are put lower than intelligence. The intellectual (and not least intelligent) is put higher than the emotional! Many musicians though have the language too, to a high degree and a lot of other talents. But many of us don’t really have the words; use the music-language instead to express things. And artistic expressions is needed, and have always been through history even back to ancient times, to express things we don’t have words for really? Especially emotional things?

And once again see the phenomenon alexithymia, a phenomenon researchers think is increasing in this world. And one can wonder: why is that? Why do more and more people lack emotional language? Is it only a question of that we become more and more people in the world? Or what is it about? An inherent trait/gene? (I don't think so though! I think this is something we have been taught early in life effectively. But it is possible doing something about. Probably with a lot of struggles and efforts though, which wouldn't have been needed if we had been allowed to express our feelings/emotions from the first beginning).

I came to think that this means that "children’s and women’s language" is put lower? Because in general they use a more emotional language? But there are exceptions of course!!! In both directions.

Is this a question of being taken seriously (i.e., being met with real, genuine respect)… Something that isn’t given to everybody.

You shall have your feelings, emotions under control, or at least have these under control to a certain degree? You shall express yourself in a balanced way, and preferably with the best language possible! Otherwise you can keep quiet or you get corrected or not even listened to or read!

And you know the grammar syntax, vocabulary are important! You don’t get a second chance to explain yourself better, by being asked what you really mean!!

Isn’t there a contempt involved here? A contempt for children (or the child)? A contempt for weakness in fact?

“Don’t be so childish!!”

People get embarrassed on behalf of you!? This we (I) have to avoid!!!

And these things aren’t only expressed in spoken words, but by other means: silence (the wall of silence), you aren’t taken any notice of, disregarded etc.

You can withdraw in a lot of manners, not only emotionally but also physically. But a grown up has choices here, choices a child didn’t have! A grown up can deal with this, if she/he isn’t so (too) paralysed by her/his passed.

We have had to repress HOW painful these things were, many of us can’t even slightly recall HOW painful? We are made insensitive to different degrees to these things. Which is no excuse but only an explanation.

Once again I noticed the phenomenon “talking above ones head” I think… But it didn’t bother me so much as it did. I hope! I just noticed it with a slight smile, a bit ironical smile… Talking in riddles here? Never mind. I allow myself that.

I have been taught that men are better (in general), because they have their emotions in check and don’t get carried away with their emotions (as they are born like this)! Thus they are more reliable. At the same time I am learned/taught to being sensitive, caring, thinking on.

Or they (not least mom I guess) have at least tried to teach me!!! I don’t think she consider her trials there especially successful!! I will never become that sensitive or caring or thinking on never ever! Not in her eyes at least. I will remain that selfish, egoistic, only thinking on myself. In contrast to maybe ALL my siblings?? To be honest.

This with sensitivity is one of probably many contradictions! On one occasion being insensitive is acknowledged and praised, in another NOT. Depending on who is insensitive/sensitive?? Depending on the glasses you see through? (how they are colored).

And that about getting carried away with uncontrolled emotions: on other occasions this isn’t/wasn’t even noticed!! Namely when the father (and later brothers) came home from work and poured all his (their) frustrations out on the family, and not least the kids (relatives; siblings, and not least sisters). But it was worse for the wife; because she was more sensitive than the kids, who were less sensitive?? And the kids was spared compared to the wife!!! (observe the irony!!!)

To be continued… I am going to take a shower now. Have a lot more on my mind (wrote a lot down in my note-book this morning before I sat down at the computer).

A child has hundred languages but is robbed of ninety-nine…

I wrote a blogposting on my other blog, a posting I have thought of writing for quite a long time. About a dancer and dance-pedagogue Eva Dahlgren, 92 years, who introduced “child-dance in school” in Sweden 30 years ago (see this link about such an "activity" that looked very nice). I am interested in dance too. I have danced ballet one year when I was 9, and jazz dance as grown up. And accompanied dance when we introduced it at my work-place a little more than 15 years ago. I sew between 12-15 ballet-skirts then, they are still used I think...

On one of the pictures I linked it stood:

Kroppen som talar.

• Inifrån det egna jaget
• Känslomässiga upplevelser
• Att förstå andra
• Kroppsliga erfarenheter
• Utvecklar medfödda och grundläggande förmågor
• Stimulerar känslo- och tankemönster.

Translated it would be something in the style:

The body which speaks.

• From the own self
• Emotional experiences
• To understand other people [one way, among (many) other, in processing things?]
• Bodily experiences [expresses what we have experienced?]
• Develops inborn and fundamental, basic faculties, powers, capacities.
• Stimulates feelings and thought patterns.

But it's probably not easy (and sometimes not even possible) for children to enjoy dancing or expressing themselves? I can have experienced this too. But my activities were many times about survival??? Fantasizing and doing things...

I came to think about Reggio Emilia a “school-system” created after WW II as a reaction to what happened then and to avoid something similar to occur (if I remember right)?

Their idea is that:

"A child has a hundred languages but is robbed of ninety-nine. Schools and culture separate the head from the body, they force you to think without a body and to act without a head. Play and work, reality and imagination, science and the fantastic, the inside and the outside, are made into each other’s opposites.”

The body, body and facial expressions (and dance) is one way in expressing one’s self… Music is another. Painting and drawing are other expressions. We also have words, language, tone of voice… But we have a brain, intellect, intelligence too!! And thoughts, feelings, emotions, fantasy, imaginations...

I was interested in the school subjects (learning things etc.), and in all artistic expressions I think, not only music, but also dancing (I have been singing in choir since I was child, but am no "choir-person" strikes me, despite I sang in choir as child already, the only one of my siblings!!), theater, drawing/painting, writing, sewing, creating things with my hands... The only thing I haven't really devoted myself to is athletics!!! But I rode all my teens almost every day (as we had three ponies). And I had strong legs and a good VO2-max!! But something made me unsure in my body?? If it wasn't about dancing!? And today I enjoy walking (with poles), cycling, and things like "Friskis&Svettis" doing exercise to music (also see here) and if I had had the opportunity it would be fun to dance (jazz, ballet) or riding horses...

Aren't they cute???

I have also thought of writing about hypochondria (more or less severe)...