Language is what humans use to cooperate regarding the things and experiences we share in common. "This Juice tastes good." When words become clumsy is when we have an experience unique to us. A new taste is compared to a combination of old tastes yet we say, different, it's own flavor. We communicate that it is difficult to describe. Emotions are experiences similar but different for each person. This is the realm of poetry. We need a creative use of language to explain an intense or subtle emotion to another person not feeling it. Mysticism is a unique emotional spiritual experience which language by it's nature fails to capture. We can make the attempt but we must be very careful how we describe it and caution the listener to be careful not to interpret it literally, for we are out of charted territory and there be monsters here.
What a delightful synchronicity to read this essay within twenty-four hours of reading about particle physicist Heinrich Päs' new book "The One: How an Ancient Idea Holds the Future of Physics". I hope that before too long, Rabbi Jacobs will interview the author for the Beyond Belief series. Somewhere, Spinoza and others are smiling!
Language is what humans use to cooperate regarding the things and experiences we share in common. "This Juice tastes good." When words become clumsy is when we have an experience unique to us. A new taste is compared to a combination of old tastes yet we say, different, it's own flavor. We communicate that it is difficult to describe. Emotions are experiences similar but different for each person. This is the realm of poetry. We need a creative use of language to explain an intense or subtle emotion to another person not feeling it. Mysticism is a unique emotional spiritual experience which language by it's nature fails to capture. We can make the attempt but we must be very careful how we describe it and caution the listener to be careful not to interpret it literally, for we are out of charted territory and there be monsters here.
What a delightful synchronicity to read this essay within twenty-four hours of reading about particle physicist Heinrich Päs' new book "The One: How an Ancient Idea Holds the Future of Physics". I hope that before too long, Rabbi Jacobs will interview the author for the Beyond Belief series. Somewhere, Spinoza and others are smiling!
The loud smell of a song might be perceptible / understandable through extended metaphor and synæsthesia.
Much of the difficulty in explaining mystical experiences is that they often involve synæsthesia.