“Trust” is a fuzzy word.
We know the meaning of the word, but it conjures no clear image in the mind.
“Razor blade” is a vivid word. Every time you hear it, you can see that razor blade clearly on the visuospatial sketchpad of working memory – also known as your imagination – in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of your brain.
Trust is abstract.
Razor blade is concrete.
Trust is an artistic, emotional, relational word.
Razor blade is a scientific, logical, transactional word.
If you are thinking, “Razor blade is not a word; it is two words,” please be aware that I know this.
“Razor blade” is a 3-syllable construct that conjures a vivid, concrete image in the mind. But those 3 syllables* require the combination of two nouns, “razor” and “blade” to deliver clarity.
Were I to say only “blade,” you might think of a sword or a pocket knife or the knife with which you carve the turkey at Thanksgiving.
Were I to say only “razor,” you might think of that classic, metal shaving instrument that slowly opens to reveal a thin, double-edged blade when you twist the knob at the bottom of its handle.
Or you might think of that black, blue and chrome Norelco Aquatec that currently lies in a drawer below the mirror into which you gaze as you run that buzzing little beast over the stubble on your bleary-eyed face each morning.
Yes, I know that “razor blade” is two words. But for the purpose of this essay, I am thinking of it only as a series of 3 syllables that deliver a concrete image.
“Trust” is a single syllable that does not deliver a concrete image, but it does deliver a meaningful impression.
Do you trust your husband?
Do you trust your wife?
Do you trust your dog
to protect your life?
Do you trust the government?
Do you the trust the police?
Do you trust your insurance company
or are you being fleeced?
In those nine seconds, I aimed the eyes of your imagination at 6 different subjects, but that single syllable – “trust” – delivered what I needed it to deliver each time.
Let me summarize what I have spoken.
Abstract versus Concrete
is essentially
Impression versus Clarity.
Reader, are you troubled that I said, “I have spoken,” when the technical truth is that I have written?
Here’s another little tidbit for you. The written word has no meaning until it has been translated into the spoken word it represents. Even when you are reading silently, you are hearing words in your mind. When you translate t-r-u-s-t into the single syllable that those 5 letters represent, the written word becomes the spoken word in your mind.
You have been told that one picture is worth a thousand words.
Maybe you even believe it.
Let’s put that to the test.
Draw, paint, photograph, or use AI to create a picture of “trust.”
The impression that we want to deliver to the viewer is the identical impression that is delivered by that glorious single syllable, “trust.”
The image you create can contain no words, no letters, no sounds, no numerals. We are looking for that mythical picture that is supposedly able to deliver what cannot be delivered in a thousand words.
When you have created your picture, show it to 100 people. Say only, “Tell me what you see.”
I do not believe that you can create a picture that will cause anyone to look up at you and say, “Trust.”
Let it be written it letters of fire across the skies: “One word is worth a thousand pictures.”
I wish for you a joyous and productive day.
Roy H. Williams
*ray-zur blayd or /ˈreɪ.zɚ ˌbleɪd/ in the International Phonetic Alphabet
“Working hard” is usually considered a virtue. But what happens when work becomes so central to your identity that you can’t switch it off? Do you continue working even when you are exhausted, on vacation, or spending time with the people who matter most?
Dr. Angelica Perez-Litwin has spent more than two decades observing high-achieving clients — and, as she candidly explains, she has experienced this problem herself.
As she explains to roving reporter Rotbart, “A person does not need to surrender their ambition. The solution is to build a healthier relationship with achievement. Professional and financial success can remain important without becoming the only measure of who you are.”
Listen and learn at MondayMorningRadio.com