Mar
Writing Effectively
I just received an email letter from an angry young man. It was one long run-on sentence devoid of punctuation or capital letters, with mis-spellings and indecipherable grammar. I concluded that the writer was a buffoon, partly from the rant and partly because of the poor writing skills. These days, writing skills are lacking. Half the young people out there use a “cyber-speak” with incomprehensible letter words and strange contractions.
Whatever happened to writing?
The fact is that writing is a form of communication that has its rules. These help further understanding of the message. We need them to bridge the gap between the spoken and written word. A spoken message is easier to comprehend thanks to inflection and other nuances of speech. That luxury does not exist when writing, so we use punctuation, grammar and capitalization to enhance the message.
The point is that we speak and we write to communicate ideas to others. The ideal situation is one in which the message we hope to send is exactly the message received. Good writing assures it. With poor writing, the message we hope to send might not be fully comprehended by the receiver. If we truly care for the message and the understanding of the receiver, it pays for us to write in full words and sentences, with appropriate attention to grammar and punctuation. After all, the way we write is not exactly the way we speak.
I prize literacy, as do many of you. I sincerely hope that in these days of “cyber-speak” and other excuses for poor writing, that enough people will care to preserve the art of written communication. We deserve to have our messages understood, and the only sure way is to communicate with consideration for the receiver.
I have a son who, despite his disabilities, believes in expressing his views. He has an amazing mind that is capable of complex thoughts and deep spiritual insights, but cannot spell nor can he express himself well while attempting to correct and edit his writing.
I have taught him to continue to express his views and to not let his challenges prevent him from sharing his thoughts. Asperger’s Syndrome often creates a savant like individual!
I mention this because he is a Heathen and I am SURE he posts to the list on occasion ~ I know he reads them!
I too mourn the lack of literacy in America today…or any day! But please do remember that with the onset of vacinations, chemicals, and other manmade additions to our world, comes unique challenges for many of our youth.
In Firth,
March 28th, 2008 at 10:12 amMichele
This is another example of why we – the folks who are alive today – must write the lore for our times. Our ancestors did not recognize Aspergers or autism, chemicals or vaccinations. In fact, most of us today know little of these things. (I’ll admit I would likely mistake your son’s post for something else. I know almost nothing about Aspergers.) Those who know are those who, like yourself, have the direct experience with people afflicted by the disease. Your input is crucial to making Heathenism more relevant to the needs of our times. If there is something affecting Heathens, then it is something Heathenism ought to address.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:15 pm“If there is something affecting Heathens, then it is something Heathenism ought to address.”
Wow, that is really profound! It’s simple, but it rings so true! What a novel yet common sensical approach! Thanks for articulating this. It seems very true to me. It’s keeping the religion in real time. (Well, actually, first we may need to bring it up-to-date, and then work to keep it in real time.)
But it occurs to me that perhaps, if I may be permitted to quote lore, that Havamal may have something to say to the above issue :
” 71. The halt can ride on horseback,
the one-handed drive cattle;
the deaf fight and be useful:
to be blind is better
than to be burnt:
no ones gets good from a corpse.”
The ancients may not have known about our modern handicaps, but they knew of handicaps, and someone with a deficiency, at least if this verse rings true in practice, was not expected to do everything someone not so handicapped could, yet their dignity to make a contribution to the community was recognized nevertheless.
March 29th, 2008 at 4:29 amThe quote from the Havamal is useful, indeed. It tells a truth.
Within a “weakness” one may often find a strength. This has been my observation, especially when I worked with alchoholcs, addicts and other distressed persons.
As the loudest proponent of Practical Heathenism, I would like to see the day when we can address ourselves more directly to these problems. Physical handicaps are easily recognized. It is a good thing that so much is being done, such as prosthetics. Many men and women returning from the Iraq War have been maimed. However, now we need also look to the psychological and social side of the question. The doctors can do the physical work of healing. Ours is the other side, the unseen work of repairing broken hearts and minds.
So it is with Aspergers (The little I know came from watching “Boston Legal” – one character has it) and autism and those ailments we cannot see. Medicine does what it can through physical and psychiatric means. Again, ours must be the work of helping heal hearts and minds.
Our work is not limited to the injured or afflicted, be it a physical or mental or other unseen problem. Our work must also include family and loved ones of the injured / afflicted party. It was my lot to work with a variety of things back in the 80s and early 90s. However, it can be specialized. Some may have the talent for working with addicts, some with the effects of trauma, and others with autism.
March 29th, 2008 at 11:00 amSadly enough, I must respond that the email you recived WAS, in fact, from my son! I just found this out today!!
He had sent me a heart rendering email regarding your response!!
I have emailed you a copy and ask that you learn… LISTEN and learn…Asperger’s is not a mental illness. Please take a moment to look it up in a simple online search.
There are hundreds of these children born every single minute of every day!! We cannot ignore the effect this has and WILL have in our society and our faith!! This is our future! I think we must recognise the strengths these young people have and try and lead them to overcome their challenges ~ as I have done with all my 5 sons!
This young man is truely a Heathen. He was born as such and I can imagine he will die that way. He will raise his children in this belief!
He is probably better read than most Heathens today… He has memorized vast ammounts of Lore (another Asperger’s talent) and has a nearly perfect recall of anything he has ever read!
But, he cannot write well…
He completed high school, passed the California exit exam and achieved a normal, regular high school diploma with all the same requirements as his brothers.
In Firth
March 29th, 2008 at 12:31 pmMichele