Uses and misuses of language

A discussion I've been having with a friend, about moral precepts, started me thinking about uses and misuses of oral and written language, and I decided to write a post about that. A search on the Internet brought up poetry, propaganda, advertising, and figurative language. I also thought of metaphorical language; the specialized languages of arts, crafts, sciences and services; and the formal, informal and technical languages discussed in The Silent Language by Edward T. Hall.

In the face of that fathomless ocean, I decided to go back to the topic of moral precepts, and some harmful and malicious ways they're commonly used. I have a one track mind that always goes back to ways of improving myself, and helping to improve the world, so I'll approach it from the angle of learning to avoid using moral precepts in harmful ways, and to help counteract the harmful effects of other people misusing them.

For now I'll generalize "moral precepts" to "changes I want to promote in other people's behavior," and discuss one way among others that I've been practicing, to avoid some possible harmful effects of that: before I start promoting some kind of change in other people's behavior, I work on changing my behavior in the same way.

I'm thinking now of various ways words spoken or written can influence people's behavior apart from communicating information and ideas, for example in songs, stories and poetry; and by triggering emotional reflexes associated with words and phrases. All those ways can be harmful and beneficial, just like any other ways of influencing people. My biggest problem that I'm aware of is intimidating people. I've been struggling with that for decades, and I've made some progress, but I'm perpetually disappointed with the results of my efforts.

How I use moral precepts

Cover by John R. Neill, 1916

"Now, I think that is neatly put, and shows the author to be a deep thinker. But the advice that has impressed me the most is in the following paragraph: 'You may not find it as Pleasant to be Good as it is to be Bad, but Other People will find it more Pleasant.' Haw-hoo-ho! keek-eek! 'Other people will find it more pleasant!'—hee, hee, heek, keek!—'more pleasant.' Dear me—dear me! Therein lies a noble incentive to be good, and whenever I get time I'm surely going to try it."

- King Rinkitink, reading a parchment entitled "How to be Good," in Rinkitink of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

My moral precepts come mostly from Baha'i writings. It looks to me like the way I use them most often is by saying them to myself, and sometimes reading them. I like what I see and imagine it doing to me, and for me, when I say them to myself. For example, I see that sometimes it helps put me in the right spirit for something I want to do; sometimes it inspires, encourages and strengthens me to be the way I want to be and do what I want to do; and sometimes it gives me moral support in the face of scorn and contempt for my values. I imagine that it also helps me in other ways, in trying to be the best person I can be and do all the good I can do.

Another way I use them is for ideas about ways to improve my character and conduct, and to help improve the world.

Another way I use them is saying them to other people sometimes, when I think they might have some good use for them.