The purpose of language is to communicate. That's the most basic definition of language. I have my own subject... — Michael J. Knowles

The purpose of language is to communicate. That's the most basic definition of language. I have my own subjective experience going on in my head, and you have your own subjective experience going on in your head. The only way we can bridge that unbridgeable gap is through language.

Author: Michael J. Knowles

Insight: We live inside our own heads, experiencing the world in ways no one else can quite reach. You know what it feels like to be tired in a way that's uniquely yours. Someone else knows a different kind of tired. Language is the rickety bridge we throw across that gap—imperfect, constantly misunderstood, but still the only tool we have. This becomes obvious when you're trying to explain something important to someone and they just don't get it. You're searching for the right words because the right words actually matter. They're not decoration. They're the only mechanism we have to make another person understand not just facts, but the texture of what we mean. When someone really hears you, it's almost shocking how rare it is. The tricky part is accepting that language will always fail us a little bit. You can't fully transfer what's in your head into someone else's, no matter how carefully you choose your words. But that doesn't make the attempt pointless—it makes it essential. Every conversation, every text, every attempt to say what you actually mean is an act of reaching across the unbridgeable gap. That's not depressing. It's actually the point of talking to anyone at all.