1 Corinthians 14:10 There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning.
In part, this corruption of language spurred him towards a belief
in what he called “the universal language of the soul”, or language
with no spoken words. A language best heard (or felt) in silence. Pg. 4 The Visitor
If you have had the patience and perseverance to follow all the blog entries in "The Visitor - Re-Visited" you would be aware that The Visitor is not a simple story. You would also be aware it is a story that not even the author fully understands, and invites readers to search for their own interpretations.
That said, moving forward, these blogs will start to take a much deeper dive into possible interpretations. Today's interpretation is focusing simply on a statement made by the narrator on page 4 of The Visitor about "corruption of language", and a belief in a universal understanding that requires no spoken words, no language and perhaps is best "felt" in silence.
However, now as a seasoned reader (if you have followed this far) you are going to start to see more of the influences on The Visitor and perhaps understand why it is not just a Love Story, but a Story of Love. This deep dive is the beginning of truly understanding what The Visitor is about, and why individual interpretation is actively encouraged by the author.
The concepts of silence, universality, and language are central themes in The Visitor. The previous blogs on Love explain how the Visitor believes sacred words like Love, Faith (and even hope) have been corrupted to the point the words are now meaningless.
“Shared, but maybe not emphasized to the same degree, is the strong suggestion that deep within us, in the silence of our souls, we know intuitively the differences between what is right and what is wrong.”
Other sections of The Visitor talk about the need for Love, Empathy, Understanding, Judgement, Pain, Sorrow, Joy etc. All these are claimed by the Visitor to be universally shared states of the human condition. This idea of silence, and universal understanding is hinted to in the prologue (pg viii):
In fact, one of the pivotal contextual points in The Visitor is in his search for silence. That is what partly drives him away to his home outside of the city prior to his death. This is clear at the end of the section of Crime and Punishment (pg 43) when the narrator shares the following:
Although I still did not fully understand what he meant, he was passionate in his belief that the more he withdrew from everyone, the better he was able to connect with anyone. From his solitude and isolation, he could connect with everyone rather than be consumed by any one. His description of how we are all connected and of how we are all one was beyond a romantic notion. He believed the connection was beyond spiritual. Just as a high tide lifts all boats, the hurting of one hurts us all. He believed there was shared responsibility and accountability amongst everyone.
The idea that there are many languages in the world, each with meaning is not a novel idea. We are more than aware we don't all speak the same language. And while a foreign language may sound like gibberish to one not familiar, the support for something deeper is found within 1 Corinthians 14:10
There are, perhaps, a great many kinds of languages in the world, and no kind is without meaning.
In the eyes of the Visitor this concept is pushed to the idea that there is even meaning in a language without words. Reference the poetic parable on Joy and Sorrow to understand at a minimum the Visitor sees "emotional states" as universally shared.
Your joy and sorrow are not yours alone
They are both universally shared states
Unless your heart is carved out of stone
Such feelings are our shared human fate.
The Visitor's assertion that you can "understand" or derive meaning from such universally shared states directly follows the stanza above in the chapter on Joy and Sorrow.
You may witness the pain in the eyes of a stranger
Or smile when someone else laughs.
Or feel the fear when someone’s in danger
As we all walk along a shared path.
The idea of witnessing pain in the eyes of a stranger is the idea that we can "understand" pain in someone without the need for words. The fact that we may smile when someone else laughs invokes the idea of an innate ability to respond to an "emotional" stimuli. This is again emphasized in that we can actually "feel fear" when someone else is in danger.
Words are not required to share, in fact all of these examples are actually better "felt" than heard. Words require translation, are open to misinterpretation and are filtered through a cognitive process. We are much more in control of the words we utter. And as such, we can intentionally confuse, manipulate, control and hurt others for whatever purpose we choose.
We are much more responsible for the words we say and the impact of those words. Again, this concept is not new or unique. See Ephesians 4:29
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
In the extreme dualism that makes up the personality of the Visitor, it is not surprising that we can draw the conclusion that for the Visitor, words are not only "inadequate" but mundane; where as silence and prayer are sacred. There are various examples of this duality to be found throughout The Visitor, but they will be highlighted in future blogs.
Quickly however, to understand the "sacredness" of silence to the Visitor we can refer to the poetic parable on Prayer (pg 71):
Prayer is the expansion of your inner self
In prayer, you rise in communion.
Prayer is not a deal you can barter or sell
It is a sacred, silent, union.
The idea of three simple words "sacred, silent, union" pretty much sums up the connections I am talking about. Although silent - prayer is meaningful communication. And although the action may be initiated individually, the concept of "rising in communion" shouts a universal connection shared within this act. The Visitor would argue that we don't really "pray" alone. This concept is reiterated in the poetic parable below:
Words are not required to speak to the spirit.
If you forget how to pray, then be still.
Stay silent and listen - and your soul - you may hear it
Faith like Grace, is more than free will.
When you can hear, the voices of others
And join in the suffering of what we’ve all done
Without a word, your doubt will be smothered
When you join prayer, with others; as one.
This poetic parable is unquestionably influenced by Romans 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
Again, concepts of communication requiring NO WORDS (in this case actually groanings too deep for words), but rather SILENCE. The idea of "join in the suffering of what we've all done" found within the Visitor's poetic parable is another call to not only how we are all connected, but an understanding regarding judgement. Whole sections of The Visitor are devoted to "taking care when to judge". Words spoken carelessly and without Love are just part of the noise. Again, this whole central concept sprinkled throughout The Visitor can be traced pretty easily to the Bible. This time, 1 Corinthians 13:1
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal
As well as Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
Again we can see confluence of influence - Ephesians 4:29
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
The idea of NO WORDS, but rather communication through a more adequate spiritual fashion (prayer being one example) is again influenced by another passage, this time 1 Corinthians 2:13
which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
One more example of the inadequacy of words is found in John 8:43
"Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.
It really should be no surprise by now as you are in the midst of the "first deep dive" into interpretation that when the Visitor does speak, (even though he finds words inadequate and would prefer silence) he speaks ONLY in poetic parables. Influence for this type of speaking is found in John 16:25
"These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father.
At this point you the reader might make the assumption that the Visitor is a literary personification of Jesus. I can assure you as the author of The Visitor, this is not the case. As clearly outlined in The Visitor, the Visitor is not Jesus or any other incarnation of a prophet.
Page 2 of the chapter Corvus makes this clear:
The Visitor could have been anyone. In fact, he would have argued he was everyone…more or less. He was not extraordinary, he was certainly no angel, and he was far from a saint.
So, Who is the Visitor?
There is an answer, but the answer cannot be given. Words are inadequate. Be assured however, the Visitor does exist. To actually find out who the Visitor is cannot be achieved without the background provided by the rest of the books within The Corvus Chronicles. However, a very strong hint as to who the Visitor is is found on page 10 of the novel where the narrator shares, "If anyone had asked the Visitor who or what he was, he would have simply said:"
I am a part of you, just as you are part of me.
No more, no less; just another guest
Whose time has come to leave.
The last part to touch briefly on in this deep dive before I let you up for air, is to be found within the intersection of these central themes of "universal, language, silence, Love" and the damage done by inadequate words is the idea of the strength and sacredness of silence, to let silence by your message or your last word. This idea is found in the poetic parable on "Talking" (pg 62):
“Do not be tempted in your need to talk
When you’re driven too hard to be heard
Sometimes it’s wiser to get up and walk
And let silence be your last word. - The Visitor”
The power of silence as a response again is not a unique concept and heavily influenced from external sources. For example Acts 8:32
"HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH.
And he questioned Him at some length; but He answered him nothing.
When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.
"I have become mute, I do not open my mouth, Because it is You who have done it.
At the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.
And finally: two of my personal favourites:
He who conceals a transgression seeks love,
and
For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down.
As such, the Visitor is probably prone to not defend his positions. Afterall, The Visitor takes place three hours before death. There is nothing to be gained in attempting to defend. It is not only a strong position, it is the only position. Again support for this position can be found on page 43 of The Visitor:
He shared how he was no different and had spent far too many years justifying everything he did to others and himself. It took many years and many hard lessons to learn that justification was not called for nor required. If we acted in Faith, guided by Love, there was never a need to defend. In fact, he would contend that defending righteousness only diluted it.
So the message is to take care. Care with your words. Care not to defend as those who are asking you to defend are motivated by something you do not need to, and probably should not even entertain acknowledging. Instead, hold to Faith, and be guided by Love. And finally, take care when judging.
“John 8:3-11
The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?”
They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either Go From now on sin no more.””
If you made it this far....congratulations. Go up for some air, but as in any deep dive, take time resurfacing.
Journey in Love
Michael Paul