"A picture ( SYMBOL ) is worth a thousand words!"

Do you remember what USED to be here? 9-11.

FULL CIRCLE

Copyright: 8/31/07 - Tom Hyland



SYMBOLS - Symbolism - Have you ever really thought long and hard about the POWER of Symbols?

In several previous writings I have mentioned CAVE DRAWINGS by cavemen. In those prehistoric times language, or oral communication, had not yet developed. Back then, mostly GRUNTS and GROANS, and MANUAL gestures were the forms of expression. But somehow, even those poor beast-like creatures had an appreciation of beauty, as well as a desire to somehow capture and preserve something to show that they even existed.

Whether or not they actually possessed a thought pattern of wanting to pass anything down for posterity, we may never know. However, the tales, or stories about specific occurrences, or events, like successful HUNTS, or some of the animals that existed in their primitive environment, were in fact, portrayed rather poignantly on those damp, dark cave walls.

Certainly, their tools and artifacts were crude, to say the least; but they did get their point across, didn’t they? At least, thousands of years later that is what archaeologists and other experts tell us. Specific species of animals were distinguishable, like: tigers with big teeth, deer, or elk, or bison, with antlers or horns, birds of the air, with large wingspans, and perhaps even more? While I have never taken the time to research, or learn about such cave drawings, is it not safe to imagine that they even tried to draw themselves? CAVE MEN - but they had no mirrors, nor schooling in art, or penmanship, nor any modern convenience that we know of today. Could they have been simple “STICK-MEN” with lines to show shaggy hair and beards?

Anyway, now let us now leap forward in time, more thousands of years perhaps? Someone, somewhere eventually discovered THE ROSETTA STONE - a method of written language, using symbols to leave another story, about another culture. Whether this came before, or after the ancient EGYPTIANS and their HIEROGLYPHICS, I know not! The chronological sequence is not the point; rather the fact that PICTURES, or ICONS, was the method of recording HISTORY - SYMBOLS!

Given that later, better educated, professional persons spent many hours to DECIPHER many of these lost treasures, after they were finally discovered; and perhaps the decoding was not perfect, but the gist, or pith, of the idea or story ETCHED in stone, or painstakingly scribed on PAPYRUS was given back to the world-at-large, AGES later.

The ability to determine which leader, or PHAROAH, or KING, preceded or followed which other, allowed future generations to gaze in awe, to wonder, to try to imagine what it was like - WAY BACK WHEN!

Just think for a moment about the POWER and IMPORTANCE of these ancient discoveries. Those that had gone before us, tried to the utmost of their limited abilities at the time to TELL THEIR STORY.

Similar, yet different civilizations, thousands of miles apart in distance, seemed to evolve with many comparable VALUES. The aforementioned ancient EGYPTIANS, in Northern AFRICA, the ancient AZTECS in PERU, or South America, the ancient INCAS in Central America, and/or islands like BELIZ, the ancient MAYANS, in Mexico, or North America… ALL were highly developed… ALL built PYRAMIDS… ALL worshipped various and sundry gods… ALL looked to the stars as a common denominator of trying to understand their HISTORY…

Even today, in the year of our Lord, Two Thousand and Seven, millions upon millions of TOURISTS travel thousands and thousands of miles to VISIT these RUINS! Ruins, which depict RUNES, or stories, or SYMBOLS, of what it was once like… BACK THEN!

Just for a moment now, consider the impact upon civilization of just a few specific SYMBOLS ---

THE ANKH - a simple CIRCLE with a CROSS-at the bottom - it is still today, a SYMBOL of religious belief, and millions of people adorn themselves with necklaces, bracelets, and other forms of metal ware, that we now call JEWELRY.

THE CROSS - a simple design of two straight lines, which CROSS one another, some in a perpendicular fashion, as +, while others on an angle, thusly, X… While originally, the SYMBOL of the worst kind of ROMAN EXECUTION - because of ONE MAN-GOD, JESUS CHRIST, it has now been the SYMBOL of Christianly for almost TWO THOUSAND YEARS!

THE SWAZTIKA - a somewhat more complex design, because of the addition of four more shorter, straight lines, perpendicular to the ends of the CROSS, this SYMBOL was the Horrendous sign of the NAZIS! While it may have once been a form of the cross, prior to HITLER, it made millions of JEWISH people begin to actually HATE CHRISTIANS! It is now regarded by most of the world as, the most HEINOUS SYMBOL, ever forced upon mankind!

THE CIRCLE - a simple, but perfect round sign, as O - it not only represents completion, as the CIRCLE OF LIFE, but also is the SYMBOL of Dedication, Devotion, and Commitment, in the form of a WEDDING BAND, or RING!

While there are probably many more specific examples of SYMBOLS that another might chose to incorporate here, suffice it to say that I prefer to continue this article with the intention of the original premise, FULL CIRCLE.

In order to reach this conclusion, now we must consider a totally unrelated invention of mankind… the all-consuming, ever popular, PRIDEFUL STATUS SYMBOL of current technology. The ever-present, MADISON AVENUE PREPONDERANCE on every Television Station, DAILY - NIGHTLY - ad infinitum… ad nausea…

THE AUTOMOBILE - GOD BLESS IT!

Not only do we spend many of our waking hours, driving to and from WORK, but also to and from SHOPPING (groceries, clothing, mall-hopping, whatever), and to and from our children’s SPORTING EVENTS (soccer Moms notwithstanding), as well as the most important QUALITY TIME of our humble, but busy lives, the FAMILY VACATION!

Here, picture if you will, NATIONAL LAMPOON’S movie, with the DEAD AUNT up on the roof, in her ROCKING CHAIR! Are you laughing yet? Or even, prior to her death, the part where the motorcycle cop pulls them over, because of the dangling empty leash, where once there was a poor little innocent DOG! Shame on you, you couldn’t have laughed at that, could you? YOU SICKO!

YEP! The automobile, or CAR, for short - the FAMILY CAR, or more appropriately now, the SUV - Sport Utility Vehicle, or Truck, or Van, or old-fashioned STATION WAGON - each and every one we choose to buy, simply MUST fit the PICTURE - ICON - STATUS SYMBOL!

It absolutely must have: enough ROOM to HAUL grocery bags, kids, sports equipment, vacation luggage, beverage COOLERS, picnic supplies, camping supplies - tents - sleeping bags - et cetera. It must have the POWER to PULL: boats, trailers laden with ATV’s - All Terrain Vehicles, several motorbikes, or cycles, or ten-speeds, along with a ROOF-RACK to hold BOOGIE BOARDS, and/or SKIS, and on really rare occasions - DEAD AUNTS!

Next, we now consider the fact of GLOBALIZATION! Every country practically, is now manufacturing and exporting these GASOLINE-POWERED, INEFFICIENT, GAS-GUZZLING WONDERS! But, pray tell, just HOW can we ever understand what each and every Button. Lever, and Gauge on the DASHBOARD is supposed to do? It’s from another country, where THEY speak another LANGUAGE… What to do? What to do?

OOOOH! OOOOH! I GOT IT! EUREKA! We won’t use WORDS at all; just use SYMBOLS - ICONS - PICTURES! Heck, those ugly American DUMMIES must know how to READ CUTE LIL PICS, right?

So there, Pilgrims, you have it - the POWER and IMPORTANCE of SYMBOLS - from prehistoric cave drawings, to modern, up-to-date HIGH TECH HORSELESS CARRIAGES… COMPLETION… FULL CIRCLE…

DUH? Who said that? Raise your hand! Now, Mister, you march yourself right down to the PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE!


POSTSCRIPT: yeah, yeah, yeah, I know - I left out the whole flim-flam part about those cute little ICONS, or SYMBOLS, which are now so prevalent on that OTHER machine invented by mankind to supposedly SERVE as a TOOL, but which causes so much undue ANGST to us NON-TECHIES… THE GREY BOX… maybe that’s another story, for another time, another place, another SPACE CONTINUUM?


PEACE! Tom.