Inspiration #1: How To Tell Real From Faux Feelings

I just spent most of the afternoon with one of the trauma therapists with whom I work. It was a magical time-the synergy kept sending chills up our spines. I’ll share with you the bursts of awakening that came to me during that sharing.

A number of Native languages have no version of the verb “to be”. Curiously, nearly all professional writers shun the verb and its variations: I am, you are, he is, and so on. They consider it to be passive, and I suspect this is why it is not popular with Native people, who lead active, engaged lives. The issue with writers-and I propose that you and I make it an issue as well-is that the verb to be lures us into the glad/sad/mad trap.

Let’s take “he is,” which means next to nothing in and of itself. One is naturally drawn to ask, “He is what?” Let’s fill in the blank: “He is angry”. The rational mind would say, “Well, that’s expressing a feeling. What’s wrong with that?” The only problem is that it’s not a feeling-it’s an assessment. Using this form of expressiveness is one of the pitfalls many aspiring writers fall into, as it quickly separates amateurs from professionals. Instead of the passive assessment “He is angry,” an accomplished writer, Native person, or anyone who wishes to truly express feeling would say something like, “He leaned forward, clenched his fists, and gave a wicked scowl.” Now, that conveys feeling! Notice how we just went from observation to immersion, from safe detachment to, well, feeling, becoming impregnated with the visceral energy of the scene. This is how rich and real our emotional sharing could be.

My conclusion: For a feeling to be truly expressed, it cannot just be labeled; it must be felt.