So I discovered this video somewhere on my facebook news feed, and I really like it. It uses a really fun animation style called kinetic typography (which is just a fancy term for saying “animated word art”). It’s not really all that amazing, but it’s oddly super fun to watch. Also, it’s Stephen Fry, who is just a really fun guy anyways (Jeeves & Wooster anyone?).
The main reason I love this video, however, is not just because it’s super fun. It’s because Fry has a point, and a good one at that. He’s not just talking about language, although that’s a perfect example for it. What he’s really trying to teach us is that it’s time for us to grow up a little bit, move past the tiny critic in all of us, and really enjoy life instead of dragging all the details through the mud.
Too often I am tempted to make light of others misunderstandings simply so I can prove my superiority. But really, that’s a very vain thing to do, and more often than not, it gets in the way of enjoying and understanding the true message. If I can understand them well enough, why do I have to be so critical? I’d much rather live my life the way Fry describes:
“…do [we] bubble and froth and slobber and cream with joy at language? Do [we] ever let the tripping of the tips of [our] tongues against [our] teeth transport [us] to giddy euphoric bliss?”
Even as I write this, I have to acknowledge that I am not very good at following this principle. Too often I am far to critical of people for thinking differently than I do. (Apple, anyone?) This video has inspired me to do better. I hope you like it too!
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