Learning is an act of communication. First within ourselves and then to others. It happens when we experience something new, take it in, and try to explain what just happened. That’s why it’s said that once you’re able to teach something you truly understand it as opposed to just regurgitating talking points.

Often times our current vocabulary is inadequate to grasp and explain these new experiences. When we step into unknown territory – be it a new land or field of study – we either adopt the language of those who inhabit it or make up our own. This new vocabulary provides the understanding we need for the new territory we are exploring. Sure, you can hobble together a current string of known words and say, “close enough,” but there’s something special about the pushing of the frontiers of our knowledge and the creation of the words required to describe these new worlds. (Plus new words are just fun to make up.)

These new words are not limited to the new fields of study – they cross pollinate. They can be used to enhance all that you’ve encountered previously. Like listening to the words of a song and finally getting what it’s about. Like getting the punchline to that joke on the 10th time you heard it. Like re-watching a movie you loved as a kid and getting all the adult humor. Or just being able to look at the ordinary trivial things in live from a whole new perspective – like a flower. It becomes more than a nice smelling, pretty plant. It’s an origami-like, fractal bee attractor! Who has evolved to use bright colors that not only we see, but appear within the ultraviolet spectrum to stand out from all other plants to seemingly hypnotize bees to pollinate and spur future growth and continuation of it’s species. That’s pretty… damn impressive for a plant.

Language is the resolution to our world. The more you have, the more you are able to see.

It is the “enhance” button.