So you showed me this. The history of scissors? Too much desk paper? Writing by hand in this day and age? You still have a landline? What are you saying?
That is one of the nice things about words. I can be more precise. I can show you the evidence but the actual takeaway meaning that I intend to convey is often matter for words.
I tried to find a somewhat mundane scene I could photograph to go with my observation that the more open and aware our minds are, the more trouble it can be to communicate. You may have heard remarks and quotes about not having time to write something shorter:
About
"If I Had More Time, I Would Have Written a Shorter Letter" is an infamously misattributed quote that highlights the importance of brevity and editing in writing.
Origin
The earliest recorded use of the quote "If I Had More Time, I Would Have Written a Shorter Letter" comes from French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal's work "Lettres Provinciales" in 1657.[1] Written in French the quote says, "Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte." This translates to "I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter."
It takes design composition and time to construct a message that focuses on what one is trying to convey. Besides, the older we are, the more experience we have had, both on our own, and in listening to and reading others' writing.
As I pay attention to my thoughts and to expressions by others, I often find unusual, atypical notions. But to focus on them, to convey them, takes careful wording. Add to the transport problem, the factor of hurry and problems pop up. I only have limited time and energy and the recipient also has limited interest and time. So, I excuse both of us if the exact notion I had is only partly delivered and arrives in a somewhat dented form.
