Synthesis
Synthesis is a seriously funky aptitude and totally on trend for the 21st Century. It originates from Ancient Greek and literally means ‘plus-position’ meaning that synthesis is the integration of two or more pre-existing ideas/elements which results in a new creation which is greater than the sum of its parts.
Synthesis is not only ecological in that it is sustainable (doing more with less) but it is also original in that the final ingredient which makes the composite whole larger than the sum of its parts is your ingenuous input. The English language is a great example of synthesis and one of the reasons that it is so competitive, even with numerically abundant languages like Mandarin and Spanish on the rise throughout the developing world. English has a great habit of importing words and memes (idea viruses) that are laden with meaning from other languages, which makes English both a highly multicultural language, but also recognizes that even a world-dominant language like English needs to borrow precise, engaging and meaningful words and memes from other cultures.
Frequently these terms take on multiple meanings as the process of importing tends to fill a different void in the English language than in its lingua franca, while simultaneously retaining its original meaning and application in its natural cultural habitat. For example, amour propre in English is used to connote self-respect, yet in its original French version literally means proper love. When you understand the origin of the term it actually adds further depth to your vocabulary, and means that the word’s application in the synthesized English language takes on a greater and more kaleidoscopic meaning.
In the context of future-proofing your brain linguistic gymnastics and a multivarious arsenal of apt words and memes significantly adds to your communication flexibility. With the growing inter-connectedness of everything as a product of the blogosphere, a bigger personal dictionary means more meaning in life, not only lexicographically, but also metaphorically and metaphysically. The richer your language, the more concepts, ideas, and thoughts your own ecosystem of opportunity will be able to entertain, adapt and adopt to.
And while it is crucial to be a wordsmith in one’s own language of origin, one’s level of comprehension and communication mastery takes a quantum leap once you make a philosophical declaration to command and adopt imported words into that vocabulary. Lexicographers speak of policemes – words that have the greedy habit of having more than one meaning – and the fastest way to accrue an armory of words charged with meaning to express your ideas, weltanschauung and creativity with real chutzpah is to make a conscious effort to be a word spunge.
In our fast-moving world, the internet is made up of only two conceptual ingredients – words and enthusiasm. The Austrian philosopher Ludwig von Wittgenstein proposed that ‘whereof one cannot speak, one must be silent’. This also implies that the things we cannot speak of because we lack the linguistic acuity or agility, one cannot think, and thus we are restricted to silence and left out of the discussion, without the ability to positively effect a desired outcome.
In a world that spins on an axis of communication, your own linguistic dictionary, not only determines the conversations you will be able to participate in, but also at a more fundamental level, what you can actually think of. When the quality of your thinking determines the quality of your results, my first recommendation to you would be to make sure you engage in a compounded investment strategy at your own word bank. To truly hone your skills as a synthesizer – someone who unites separate ideas, elements or concepts into something fresh, funky and new – your linguistic muscles will be a great asset because they guarantee that you can speak of more, and equally think of more, leading logically and intuitively to more compounded and innovative results in your business and life. So make a deposit into this mushrooming bank account today.
Picking one new word per week or more ambitiously every day to add to your investment strategy will yield you more mental acuity, and ensure you land on the winner’s side in the era of thought apartheid.
Here’s an array of my current favourite imported words:
1. smorgasbord
2. weltanschauung
3. zeitgeist
4. amour propre
5. chutzpah
6. modus operandi
7. fait accompli
8. raison d’etre
9. mardi gras
What are other cool words you can think of that you use or really dig?
What are your thoughts on synthesis? Blog to your hearts content!
Ciao
Anders