the language of the heart

Spiritual resource to share: sincerity

Learning a second language (mine is Spanish) has always been expansive for me in knowing that there are worlds of ways to perceive things that go beyond our native language.

For instance, did you know that in Japanese, there is a word for the essence of a rock? In German, "zwischenraum" is a word for the space between things, and in Spanish the phrase for "to give birth" is "dar a luz" - which literally means to give to the light.

It takes humility to learn another language. I have visited a number of Spanish -speaking countries to use my second language skills and have found that it also takes a willingness to make yourself a little vulnerable as well as I have had to adjust my academic Spanish to the everyday spoken Spanish of that country! But the trade off is that you are entering another world, another way to see things. And if there is love in your heart for that country and respect for its people, doors will open up for you. It's well worth it. In Miscellaneous Writings, Mary Baker Eddy sums it up nicely:

When the heart speaks, however simple the words, its language is always acceptable to those who have hearts.

I thought of this whenever I find myself in a situation where I am not familiar with the "language" be it a visit to another country where English is not spoken, a party of people I have not yet met or being part of a discussion on an unfamiliar topic. If I bring a heart - sincere to understand, connect and contribute - there is always a level of acceptance.





click on image to see more about the 20 language families in the world


To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.