How powerful are words?
Imagine a loving couple, divided by the Atlantic. All they have are conversations over the phone, letters on a page, text messages. And no physical contact.
Now imagine the same couple, but this time they can’t speak. They can’t write. But they share the same house, the same bed and the same embrace. All they have is this. The scent of the other in their nostrils. They can hear each other’s heart beat close by. They can wipe away their partner’s tears.
Which is more powerful, words or physical presence? Which relationship will last?
From this example, we can say that the second couple would last longer. Physical presence leaves a greater imprint on a human than mere words.
Hugs defeat words.
Stepping Back
Well, having said all that, if we step back we realise that even though the first couple is more likely to exist than the second, most people don’t experience relationships like either of them. A relationship is a mixture of both language and physicality.
The truth is that words aren’t the ‘be all and end all’. They are in fact weaker than maybe some philosophers suggest. They do not define reality, but like our physical senses, they help us to interact with it.
Life is more than just words, symbols or concepts, it is filled with moments of embracing, eating good food and belly laughs.
The spiritual is not superior to the physical. And the physical is not more real than the spiritual.
Speaking and hugs are not separated, they are both part of how we experience the whole of reality.
From a Christian perspective, Christ is both fully God and fully man. He brings physicality and spirituality together in Him.
We should adopt this Christ-like model. And embrace the truth that the whole of reality is both physical things and spiritual things, all together. Completely and fully integrated. Just like in the Incarnation.