THE APE CONFUSED BY LANGUAGE

Acquiring language was a mistake. There is only so much unpleasantness a dumb animal can visit on another dumb animal, but language brings the possibility for endless invention in the field of mental hurt (now known to “light up” the same brain areas as physical hurt!).
Language is the main tool of the advertiser, seducer, preacher, bully and con-artist. It is also how we drive ourselves mad inside our own heads.
Language is not absolute, unlike facial expressions which are common all over the world. The few sounds we share with animals: the hiss, purr, growl – and the uniquely human laugh – are also common currency, but once we stray into language, Babel ensues.
Worst of all are the misunderstandings within one language; between native speaker and linguist-foreigner, dialect and dialect – husband and wife. . .
Fred Trappist – founder of the order of monks who take his name, was an astute guy. He realised that if they never said a word, there would be no plotting, no factions, no spread of doubt; back to basics.
Without language you can’t write “Mein Kampf” or “Das Kapital” nor can you get into higher maths as you have no words for “six” or “square root”. There goes The Bomb.
You can’t invent a lot of unnecessary junk like TVs and washing machines which, in its turn, prevents pollution – about which, being without language, you couldn’t moan ineffectually either.
Think of all those sermons not being spouted! One god divided poignantly among three faiths (and divided again within them) all done by the relentless transforming of ideas – all thanks to language. Then a whole lot more gods, with books written in their name (always unsigned) full of complicated, contradictory advice and admonitions; all there in black and white shades of grey.
“In the beginning was the word”. Never was a truer word spoken; it spelled d o o m.



THE RIGHT BRANCH

So now we know - the chimps are smart
just a couple of whoops says what’s in their heart.
While man struggles on, too clever by half
our branch of The Tree just gives God a cheap laugh.

Yes we evolved language to drive ourselves mad
to mask true intent and confuse good with bad.
On language-based science we ascend to the stars
at odds down on Earth - we’ll be more so on Mars.

So I’ll hear no more spoken of man’s lofty status
as we hate each-other, each other will hate us.
We’ve all gone down hill since the Tower of Babel
all DOING like mad - at just BEING unable.

Survival needs naught but the birds and the bees
rise up, come with me, we’ll go back to the trees;
I have looked at the future - come up with a ploy:
just hang on a branch and give two whoops for joy!