The power of language - let there be light...

A few things have happened over the past days that have made me ponder about the power of language, and particularly the written word.

I've been enjoying the Edinburgh Festival and Fringe with my family for the first time.  Listening to (in the case of the Fringe) or reading the words of talented writers sharing their take on the world is one of my guilty pleasures.  Having had quite an overdose of this, I was intrigued to listen on the radio to people discussing George Orwell's 1984 and the attempts of 'newspeak' to eliminate personal/independent thought in that novel. Our ability to share a language that allows us to express our thoughts and feelings is surely a thing to be treasured. 

So, to honour that, the inscription above the Central Library in Edinburgh seems most fitting.