The Importance of Words

Once, some years ago,when this blogger said to her husband that she felt a bit depressed, he said, (now wait for this!) "Do you know what they did to women like you in the olden days?  they took them outside and beat them!
There was a moment when the blogger's mind filled with alternatives, suicide? fury? or and luckily this won, laughter.  He had completely blown the depression out of the water.  Admittedly it couldn't have been too severe, clearly depression when it totally takes over is pathological and then beating or joking are unlikely to do the business.  Also, it is going to depend who says things like this and to who, words are not dead, they have power to change things and explain them too.  It was because he knew me and I knew him that I could understand what he was trying to do. See below to check that we are still happily together and unbeaten!

Listening to Saturday Live this morning, there is a brilliant piece on words and history.  Click this link to hear it and/or if you have time at 13.45 pm every day this week  on Radio Four, there is a History of Words and you will hear about Socrates and Diotema speaking about Love.