Diana Benković, Logotherapeut
OVDJE I SADA (HERE AND NOW)
Zagreb, Croatia
Language is not merely a tool for communication – it is the very medium through which we experience and shape reality. As Heidegger famously stated, “Language is the house of Being. In its home man dwells.” From the Greek concept of Logos to the insights of Wittgenstein, who sees language as both a mirror and a maker of reality, we see language is a powerful tool and like any other tool, its power lies in how it’s used. The words we choose are seeds of our future, forming our personality and our relationships and thus can have a decisive impact on our destiny, as well as on the lives of those we encounter through words.
The Greek term Logos, while most translated as “word” or “meaning”, encompasses much more: mind, divine Word, speech, principle, law, and the ordering of reality itself. Derived from the verb legein, which in its pre-philosophical usage had two fundamental meanings – “to gather, collect” and “to say, speak” – Logos represents both the process of gathering and organizing ideas, truths, and meanings, and the expression of that internal world through speech, reason, or argument.
Many of us have experienced the profound truth behind familiar proverbs we were raised with: “The tongue has no bones, yet it can break bones.”, “Words can wound deeper than swords.”, and “Kind words do more than force.” Yet how often do we pause to consider our everyday speech and recognize the immense power contained in each of our words?
Thoughts are inner speech – what arises in consciousness before it takes shape in language. Speaking a thought out loud gives it a power of reality; it leaves our inner world and begins to act in the outer one. The relationship between thoughts and words is reciprocal: it is not only that thoughts create words; words also shape our thoughts. By consciously choosing what we think and say, we plant and cultivate seeds of the future.
Speech is what reveals us more than anything else. Speech reveals our worldview, our relationship to life, world and others – it is our spoken word that reveals our values. Transformation happens through speech: when we learn to speak differently, we become different. The words we use in everyday conversations carry great power – they can build or destroy, illuminate or blind. Word can heal the wound and drive out fear, it can open our eyes and allow us to experience love, compassion, and understanding. Yet, there are words that are lifeless and can turn someone to stone.
As Viktor Frankl demonstrated, “Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment.” Our thoughts, words and actions are the building stone of our humanity. By becoming conscious and taking responsibility for the words we proclaim – both to ourselves and to others – we shape our lives and the world around us.
The power of words is a call to responsibility! “Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” (Proverbs 18:21). When we recognize and acknowledge this power, we embrace our freedom and responsibility, using speech as a bridge to understanding, connection, and the realisation of our highest human potential. In choosing our words consciously, with intention and love, we exercise the freedom to shape our lives, our relationships, and the world around us. In that choice lies our humanity.
References:
Heidegger, M. (1993). Letter on humanism (F. A. Capuzzi, Trans.). In D. F. Krell (Ed.), Basic writings (pp. 217–265). HarperCollins.
(Original work published 1947.)
Frankl, V. E. (2006). Man’s search for meaning (I. Lasch, Trans.). Beacon Press.
(Original work published 1946. Quote appears in various editions.)
Holy Bible. (2001). English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles.
(Proverbs 18:21.)