Saying More With Less

I didn't need to read anything else. In one word I understood exactly what it was saying. But even more meaningful was what it wasn't saying. I'm not an eco-activist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do think about the kind of world my boys will live in when I'm gone.

What if we used less words more often?

A single word. It didn't condemn me, or make me feel guilty or defensive. By not saying more it did.

What if we got back to basics and just said what we really meant--instead of using the right kinds of lingo and abbreviations?

What if we left more room for intepretation?

I'll stop here in the spirit of this message. Maybe I can find a way to inject this thinking into what I do for a living. If not, I can always apply it to life.

Comments

[Mark]

"Green," of course, IS the "right kind of lingo." Perhaps more amazing than how clearly the word announces its meaning, is how far it has come. Twenty or twenty five years ago its meaning would have been just as clear but completely different - money. What a transformation.

[DA]

"Green," of course, IS the "right kind of lingo."

Mark, I don't know if I would classify the use of the word Green here as lingo. I think "eco-friendly" is lingo or "enviornmentally safe".

To me, the use of the word Green here is the equivilent of using an Icon or symbol except instead of being visual, its verbal.

To your point, "Green" has changed meaning over the years—an amazing tranformation indeed.

[Tim Jackson]

I would have to agree DA; frequently, less is way, way more. I have a hard time adhering to it at times, but I do believe it.

[Tony D. Clark]

It is amazing how much can be conveyed with just a single word.

For example, the same message, but from another angle, could have been portrayed by making the text of the word "green," red, and adding a questions mark. That simple change could make it appear more antagonistic. As it is, it comes as a gentle reminder.

[Cam Beck]

Purple.

[DA]

Tony, That's a really intersting perspective. Very true, it would change the meaning yet still be a powerful message.

Cam... Plaid.

top that.

[Cam Beck]

Touché.

[grapplica]

Person">http://grapplica.blogspot.com/2007/02/person-of-year.html">Person of the year

[Clay Parker Jones]

And...

it's a campaign for Saturn.

Sorry for deflating it.

[DA]

Thanks a lot Clay--geez what a buzzkill.

:)

Well it won't make me buy Saturn, but at least it got me thinking...

[Stephen]

I like this post it immediately reminded me of "The Elements of Style" by EB White. OMIT NEEDLESS WORDS....I use it daily in my work but more often than not forget!