Some things cannot be said.
Sometimes the thing you wish to say is negated in the saying. The classic example is that of humility. The moment you claim to be humble, you demonstrate that you are not.
Sometimes the thing you wish to say can’t be said because the hearer cannot hear what you want to tell them. Try convincing someone they made a mistake or they are wrong. Oftentimes, they will just dig in to their mistaken place further and further the more you try to help them.
Some things are simply non-cognitive. You cannot really explain color. If blind person has never seen a color, she does not know what a color is and no amount of telling will explain it to her. You cannot explain the sublime, it is something that must be experienced.
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Copyright © 2016 Sterling Hanenkamp.