…. William Blake

Road to the RED DOT

Language: The Womb of Creation

The domain of a TED talk lies at the intersection of vision, imagination, and possibility. A TED speaker tries to push the envelope of what is possible for all of us through the medium of his or her speech. TED speeches are a peculiar use of language. It is not the use of language to describe what already exists. Nor is it the use of language to describe what does not exist. It is the use of language to bring into existence as an act of creation that which was hitherto beyond conception. It is the use of language to bring forth as a creative act. The ancient sages of India understood the creative aspect of language. They called each of the 51 letters of the Sanskrit script as “Matrika” or “Little Mother”. Thus recognizing the capacity of language to create name and form out of the raw material of our sensory experience. When we use language to describe our experience our words have only a limited power to transform. As a descriptor, language resides in the domain of a narrative and while descriptions can be graphic and beautiful, the words are still operating in the domain of what already exists. The language is not bringing forth something that lies in the realm of the unknown.

There is however a form of language that is performative, in that it, actually performs an action. A performative is the use of language as a sound act. In the Sanskrit language, a mantra is a performative use of language. In the English language, phrases like “I will”, “I promise”, “This is my stand”, “I am a commitment to” are examples of the use of language as a performative. These words exist in the domain of manifestation and any word that follows the use of a performative automatically becomes manifested into reality by the use of these phrases preceding them.

Similarly, a TED talk is structured to use a combination of linguistic descriptors and performatives to create in the listener the possibility of a new reality. The birth of an idea! When you listen to a TED talk, you emerge having the possibility of something new ignited within you. You are not the same person who entered the hall or clicked on the YouTube video. Your world is now transformed because of the seeds of language that have penetrated your consciousness in a manner that compels you to see the world differently. Watching a TED talk causes you to be born anew like a snake shedding its slough or Phoenix rising from its ashes.

It is this generative property of TED talks that is the reason why 3 billion people watch these talks every year and why creators and change-makers dream of standing on one of these stages and delivering their message.

TED! A place for an Idea Worth Sharing! Stay connected to be transformed as I share my idea on Oct 5th at TEDx Gary, Indiana.

…. www.driyer.com

Ravi R Iyer, MD


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