> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.isaacbowen.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://www.isaacbowen.com/2006/11/12/communicating-a-state-of-being.md).

# Communicating a State of Being

I really don’t think that it’s possible to completely and intentionally communicate what’s going through one’s mind, using targeted words. The best way, perhaps, is through… some other form of expression. To understand what someone else is thinking, I find that measuring their reactions and impulses serves best.

Simply being around somebody, I suppose, works. And perhaps I’m only stating the obvious here, but I think that it’d be more effective to talk about something *other* than your state of being than to try to describe it. Observing the subconscious react gives me a much clearer picture than your consciousness trying to describe itself.

Music fits into this, yes? Poetry, visual arts… Creative efforts stem from what I generally call the soul (versus the mind), and what’s in the soul is thereby communicated in a form that isn’t confined to a language. Music has structure, yes, as does a painting. But the soul is more free to express itself in a medium where it’s not confined to a certain vocabulary.

Sing to me. Play for me. Or talk about the weather – whatever. There’s a place for defining your state of being, yes. Getting your thoughts out on paper makes life that much more… approachable. Treatable. But if you’re simply trying to *show* me your soul, don’t talk about it. Let it show itself.


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