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  %MEDIUM MOLD TRANSFORM COMMUNICATE EMBODY MESSAGE 900313

     It has been said that the medium is the message.

     While  there  is not an identity between  the  medium
which  is used to communicate a message and the content of
the message, it is true that the medium by which a message
is  communicated  does  much to mold the  content  of  the
message received.    Not every medium of communication has
the power to embody and transport every possible content.

     The  message of a healthy hug cannot be  communicated
effectively  by means of a set of differential  equations;
or  vice  versa.   The message of a moving piece of  music
cannot  be communicated by means of the form of  a  formal
scientific report with graphs, equations, and footnotes.

     Any  effort  to communicate a message by means  of  a
medium  which is poorly suited to the intended message  is
bound  to  transform the intended message into  a  message
more suited to the medium; and so the effort will obscure,
confuse,  conceal, etc. the original message.   The medium
molds the message to conform to the potentialities of  the
medium.

     The   message as received  is  not   identical   with
the  intended message sent.    The person who  receives  a
message  may be tuned into a somewhat different wavelength
(medium)  than the wavelength (medium)   the message   was
transmitted  on.     The   receiver   of   a  message  may
receive/perceive  a different  message by virtue of trying
to  receive  it via a different medium than  the  intended
transmission medium.

     Rarely    is  a  message  transmitted  via  just  one
medium.   Spoken words are spoken with bodies which are at
the  same time transmitting body-language messages.    The
words  of  a language  are  spoken in tones  which  convey
emotions   far  beyond   the   literal   meaning  of   the
strings   of   words.  Written  words  are   perceived  to
have  messages  written between the lines;   and the tacit
rules  of perception may not  correspond  to the rules  by
which  the   messages   were placed  between   the  lines.
Art,    music,    dance,    body language,   sex,   facial
expressions,   eye  contact,  etc.   all  convey  messages
according  to patterns about which there is  only  partial
agreement as regards meaning.

     People who are tuned into only a one or a very few of
all  the  channels  of  communication  received  distorted
messages from people who transmit only via a different set
of channels of communication. People who are limited as to
which  channels of communication they are willing/able  to
send   and   receive messages,  are thereby limited as  to
the   kinds   of  messages  by  which  they  are  able  to
communicate.  They  cut themselves off from others if they
demand    that  communications  be  transmitted  on  their
limited channels of communication.    They limit with whom
they  can  communicate  if  they  transmit   and   receive
only  on  their  limited channels of communication.

     The medium of communication is not literally the same
thing   as  the  message  communicated,   but  the  medium
certainly  plays a major role in determining what  message
is  received,  internalized and acted upon.   What  really
counts  are  the  actions  which follow the  reception  of
whatever message gets across in the communication process.

     Because  human creatures have limited time,   energy,
abilities,   skills,  etc.   humans tend to specialize  as
regards  to  the  mediums  and  messages  which  they  can
communicate  effectively.    Because  humans  often   have
inadequate self esteem they seek to bolster their own self
esteem by having a sense that in some way they are special
due  to  the special way in which they  have  specialized.
Each  person  tends  to  fall  into  the  trap/prison   of
believing that their own form of specialization is special
in  the  sense of being better and more  worthy of respect
than other forms of specialization.

     Communication breaks down when people come to believe
that   their   specialized  medium  of  communication   is
inherently  better and more worthy of respect than is  the
medium  of  communication of other specialists;  for  then
people   with  diverse  means  of   communication   cannot
communicate with each other,  even when they try to do so,
which  is  only rarely.   People who do not  respect  each
other's  mediums  of communication are unlikely to try  to
communicate with each other.

     The human tendency  to  develop  specialized  mediums
of  communication  can generate  an   endless  process  of
forming sub-specialties;        each    with   its     own
highly specialized language  and types of messages,    and
its  own specialized  sense of self worth  which  isolates
those   who  are  worthy of respect,  from those  who  use
other  mediums  of  communication and are  not  worthy  of
respect and attention. The   process  is  a disintegrative
process which  is  not worthy of respect or support.

                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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