Words as Representation of Self

Self, to me is that predicate which contains all things natural to every persons being. When one acts in accordance with self, there is an intrinsic harmony and rapport between the conscience mind and it's indefinite center point. This self exists in potentia; it is not 'real' as in existing now, but it seems to exist as some future coordinate which the conscious mind refers to upon acting.

The conscious mind conversely is our basic conscious first person experience. In relation to the immaterial 'self', the conscious mind can be likened to a mere iceberg 'projecting' outwards into the open atmosphere.

So between these two points, the self and the conscious mind, one sees an ontological totality transformed into a unique particularity. When one speaks, one transforms the unique particularity of a reified self perception into a concrete symbol i.e a word, with it's own unique sound and style.

In other words, every word contains within it the 'details' of the self who spoke it.

This is not always visible to the observer or hearer, as it may be concealed beneath a subtle psychogenic 'process' which comfortably places a screen between its true inner feelings and its outward self expressing; a 'gap' exists between how it acts and how it feels, but in any case, if the gap is not immediately apparent in a persons actual speech, it would most likely be visible in the persons general behavior and lifestyle.

In the case of someone with a veritable neurosis, this can be immediately seen in their speech. When they speak, their tattered state of self is broadcasted for all present to see. In Glossophobia, what occurs is a temporary 'interruption' between the conscious mind and it's self. In a scenario where someone has to speak in public, the sheer 'openness' of the spectacle intimates to the unconscious mind the fact that speech is the revelation of the hidden self into material fact; hidden within the fact is the unique individual, and this individual, if he is not entirely secure in who he is, will experience a transitory interruption in the form of an inner anxiety; his speech will carry with it the tint of tension, the tension of an inner anxiety at the ontological self-ego relation, a tension felt in the conscious mind, a tension transferred to the larynx and vocal chords, which is then compressed into the tension of hearing another person sound tense, unconfident, and in pain. This tension is than 'passed on', if not noticed by the conscious mind of the hearer, into his subconscious perception of it; this usually yields a 'feeling' annoyance, a desire to 'get away'; the scenario is tense, the hearer feels tense, so to restore homeostasis, he either 'takes control' by asserting himself in some abrasive way, or fleeing the situation altogether.

Conversely, in a very good public speaker, whats typically revealed is a person who is at peace with himself. Its necessary that there be an ontological self-ego rapport for a person to be able to consciously know and feel himself to be 'confident'. This confrontation of conscious mind and who one is - as he is seen in the eyes of others, and how he objectively looks - is what we term 'confidence'. This confidence is then transferred into what hearers would deem charming or suave speech.

Self, Self perception, and Confidence are three stages in a process of transferring a total state of being from ontological possibility, into ontological being, and finally into ontological fact, or, thought differently, of a lowering of self from abstraction, to conscious perception, into objectification in the outer world as speech.

Each person is unique. Each possesses a unique set of possibilities, a unique set of perceptions, and a unique way of speaking, acting and looking to others.

When one speaks, one illustrates this process by expressing the inexpressible, somehow, the self in it's essential nothingness losing nothing when it's uniquely expressed. The universality of self passes into the particularity of speech, and yet, the difference almost seems to be quantitative rather then qualitative.

reply to post by dontreally


Very very good.

I agree with everything you say. It also shows in other forms of expression, ie. art, personal style, interior decoration, etc. We're putting soul to canvas. I like the way you look at it.