Number People Versus Word People
Read more articles on Life's Nuances and Let Me Share With You.November 23, 2007
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
November 23, 2007
Posted by Karen Amato Schwartz
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OK…Most of you are probably already aware of the belief that folks are skilled in Math or English, but rarely both. Do you believe it? Or do you think that a person can be equally talented?
I happen to think that it all depends on how analytical the person is overall. In my opinion, if one doesn’t care enough to figure out which words to use, they probably don’t care how to use numbers either. It does seem that most have a leaning one way or the other, but it could be that people tend to spend more time with what’s a little easier for them and thus become better in that area.
By nature, I’m very analytical, and a questioning tenacity has served me well. Now, I I have been told that I “over-analyze” and read too much into things, but I still think it’s better than sitting there going “Duh”. There is nothing wrong with putting your brain to work. I have to wonder if today’s kids are doing so, however. How analytical will our society be in a few generations if people have to depend on their cell phone caalculators just to figure out a 15% tip?
This subject is on my mind today because I’ve been trying to interpret some of the data associated with my results here at the Compendium. I adore games and puzzles, and I see such projects as mysteries to be solved. The thing is, I now have more questions than before-sometimes numbers can do that-but they do a great job of showing us reality. You gotta love their honesty, whether you like their tone or not. Unfortunately, numbers are very sensitive to manipulation and misinterpretation-just like us-but that’s another story.
The same goes for words. Although I think the English language is ridiculously confusing at times with our phrasing and word-meaning, I’m grateful that we have so many words from which to choose. It’s one reason I try to avoid profanity; there are so many more creative and definitive ways to express anger and outrage. A well-placed zinger can make more of an impact than any overused 4 letter word; don’t you think? But you must first figure out-analyze, if you will-what it is you want to express, just like what you want numbers to tell you. Once you do that, it’s easy.
When I was 9th grade, I was in a school play called Tom Jones. There was a line that sticks with me to this day. Two men were referring to a girl who, as they used to say, had a child out of wedlock. The first said, “She has a good, inquiring mind.” To which the other replied, “I’m afraid she has inquired too far.” That cracked us up as 14 year olds. As adults, we should never be afraid of inquiring too far.
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