The Dying Word

Language is dying: the art of communication and writing has plummeted in today’s society and culture. In an era dominated by distraction, attention spans grow progressively shorter as technology advances. Newspapers, books, and magazines have been replaced by memes and reels; few have the patience to even read a lengthy caption. We are perennially bored yet scared of ennui, seeking momentary visual and auditory stimulation to evade the abyss of silence. Even seemingly academic arenas, such as the sciences, have devalued the written word. An aesthetic appreciation for the construction of sentences - the beauty of mindfully flowing prose - has been dismissed in favor of the utmost brevity.

Our attitude toward language reflects a more general trend in today’s world: an obsession with materialism and productivity. Ends have taken priority over means. Slow, deliberate thought and a relish for raw experience - irrespective of any ultimate aim - has lost its allure. We have forgotten the primary importance of life, the importance of presence in the moment; an importance which needs no superordinate ambition and cannot be quantified. When we chronically prioritize that which can be itemized, monetized, and rationalized, we lose sight of the inexplicable and miraculous nature of existence itself. In a sense, we attempt to transcend life, grasping for a world of abstraction that denies the inherently concrete atoms from which it derives.

Debasement of the spoken word trails ever so slightly behind that of the written word. We have learned to speak without thinking - without considering the impact of our speech on others, without questioning whether we truly mean what we say. Formalities, greetings, goodbyes - we have habituated to saying that which is expected rather than that which is felt. Empty promises are the norm. And if we cannot believe what one says, what or whom can we trust? Conversations occur in the absence of genuine communication; superficialities never penetrate to connect parties at an emotional level.

Many argue that language distinguishes humans from all other species. It has been a powerful tool, enabling exchange of information - whether intellectual or affective, informational or social. Language has molded human thought and perception, created worlds within worlds, and sustained bridges between individuals. Our attitude toward and use of language strongly reflect the pulse of society; and I fear that we are currently regressing toward a flatline.