Space Trilogies 2--Matt Brennan

(Taken from Perelandra)
“Of course I realise it’s all rather too vague for you to put into word,…On the contrary, it is words that are vague. The reason why the thing can’t be expressed is that it’s too definite for language.”
I’ve been taking a course called Mystic Quest with Dr. Rose this semester and he likened essentially the same things said in the quote above to what he refers to as a mystical experience. I find the thought of this fascinating. To think that speech—verbal and non-verbal—are our only means of communication. We might not be able to operate as society if we didn’t have it. But to think that a “mystical” experience (religious or not), which is supposed to be one of the most enlightening personal sensations one can have, could not be expressed in words is both a sad and joyful thing. It is sad because we realize that we are actually limited in our ability to share it with others by our speech. But it is joyous when you think that maybe it is supposed to be that way. Usually considered a divine encounter, it is humbling to think that maybe we just caught a glimpse of a higher power that our minds can’t even wrap themselves around it to dumb it down for us to understand or communicate it with others. It makes it a very personal, intimate experience even more personal and intimate.