Lines on a page. Words, words, words.

I run this scenario through my mind on a regular basis:

I can enter a room that has nothing in it but a table.  And on that table is a piece of paper and a pencil.  

And I can draw some lines on that paper.  The lines are gathered in small groups.  I call these groups "letters."  And the "letters" are further gathered into groups called "words."  After drawing a number of these lines -- gathered as described above -- I can then leave the room.  

Ten hours later, someone else -- someone I have never met and may no little or nothing about -- might enter this room and look at the lines I drew on the paper.  And just by looking at them, the lines can make this persons quite happy or quite angry.  Or the lines can instruct the person to do something; and the person proceeds to do that thing or experience that emotion.  

Pretty powerful stuff, these "words."  And I might die or move away and forget all about the lines I drew on the paper, but the lines will continue to affect people.  Hundreds or thousands of them.  Powerful indeed!

But wait, there's more!  

These "words" have an audible representation that people can -- and do -- exchange on a frequent basis.  And the effect of happy/sad/angry/etc. continues even without anyone drawing lines on a piece of paper.  

And, in particular, I'm thinking of these "words" in terms of The School of the Spirit and my participation in that program.  Simply by exchanging these "words" with other people -- audibly in a room together or by examining the lines on a piece of paper -- I can be informed or confused, made to laugh or cry, made grateful or angry.  

And the effect of these "words" can shed new light on who I am and why I am the way that I am and thereby change the direction of my life.

And it all starts with lines on a page.  

What curious creatures people are...