Definition

It seems to me that so much of intellectual conversations revolve around the definition of a word that can be interpreted abstractly, ie. what is postmodernism, what is lutheranism, what is culture, what is marriage, etc. The more I learn the more I realize that there are no definite definitions as much as I feel like I am given the tools to understand the way that these kinds of things come about.

There are several ways to approach these conversations around words. One way is to really strive to understand how the other person's definition came to be. This is when you discover things like their life experiences, the books they have read, the people they have met and what their vision for the world is. Are they coming at the definition from a historical perspective? a sociological or anthropological perspective? From the perspective as a linguist or a writer? Are they coming at if from having experienced something first hand or from having seen someone else experience it? Are they coming at the definition as a realist, an optimist or a pessimist? I actually find it fascinating to see the kinds of things that make people come to the conclusions that they come to and to see the kinds of connecting points that they have.

The other way to approach this is to be able to defend your definition at all costs. This is when you think you know what your own defintion is and you will stand by it at all costs. And typically, it is our perception of an experience that we have had or have witnessed someone we care about go through that makes have the perceptions that we can not shake off at all. Sometimes we may not have thought we have experienced something but we may have read something or watched something that really resonated with us. These are the definitions that we will cling to the most. The real question becomes then, what is most important: to make sure your voice is heard or to make sure that you understand what the other person is saying??? My own opinion is that it is an attitude of discernment, and I would rather err on the end of understanding the other person than on trying to make sure that my perspective is taken as a fact.

I guess I am thinking about this in light of thinking about my classes, in light of thinking about ministry, in light of thinking about my family and my friendships. These kinds of thoughts can actually make someone's brain hurt a lot though because at what point are you not analyzing things if everything is subjective and needing some kind of a definition?? And yet these kinds of conversations can be a lot of fun if they are dealt with respectfully as well. The most stimulating kinds are when there is a mutual amount of give and take in these kinds of conversations. And before you know it, the conversation becomes a part of the collective experience that can make you draw a new definition as well if you are going to try to encompass that into the realm of opinion. Ouch! My brain hurts right now....