In Embracing Paradox, Evolving Language, L.E. Maroski proposes that humanity is poised on the cusp of a transformation of consciousness that requires not only a shift in values and perspectives, but also a shift in a basic technology we take for granted—language. Because we use language to create social structures and institutions, including education, governance, and our most intimate relationships, the structure of our language contributes to the way we structure those creations. Maroski questions the cultural assumptions that are built into the structure of language—primarily English—and invites the reader to imagine and ultimately to help develop novel structures of language that arise from different assumptions. To do so, she shows how we can draw inspiration from paradoxical topological forms, such as the Möbius strip and Klein bottle, as they embody both unity and duality/multiplicity. By seeing our reality not simply in terms of either/or but also in terms of both (many)/and, perhaps our feelings of fragmentation and the stultifying oppositions that have polarized society can transform into appreciation for the wholeness of all existence.
I often write about the power of perception (mind-set) to mold reality. In this beautifully crafted book, Maroski exposes the power of language to drive perception. We are poised on the precipice of destroying life as we know it. Maroski makes it clear that walking back from that precipice requires re-languaging our relationship to each other and our world, no more ‘them versus us,’ no more defining humans as ‘apart from’ rather than ‘a part of’ nature. Language is magic and we need magic at this point in human revolution.
John Perkins, New York Times Bestselling Author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
The world is immersed in many crises spanning local to global scales. These crises provide unique opportunities for re-visioning our world(s). Critical to any re-visioning process is our relationship to/with language. In this book, Maroski provides us with a unique roadmap to aid us in radically transforming how we speak of and about our world(s). This book is essential reading for anyone working towards the creation of a flourishing future for all beings.
Jeffrey T. Kiehl, PhD, Jungian Analyst, scientist, and author of Facing Climate Change, An Integrated Path to the Future
It is a useful and important exercise to challenge one’s closely held assumptions about all things from time to time. This book asks us to challenge some of our core assumptions about language. Even if the reader ultimately rejects some of the assertions made herein, the mental activity should prove fruitful, as it is always rewarding to meditate on the nature of language, and our connection to it.
David J. Peterson, author of The Art of Language Invention
Many modern scientists and philosophers have come full circle to an ancient and indigenous view of the world as a radically interconnected whole. But Indo-European languages, of which English is the most widely spoken, are inherently dualistic. They are based on subject/object relationships that separate. We have a budding awareness of our radical interconnection, but a language that handcuffs us from doing much about it. What to do? Enter L.E. Maroski. Maroski has written a richly evocative book about a new language for the future—a book that not only recognizes the world as radically interconnected and the English language as incapable of describing it, but does something about it. She re-examines English in relation to paradox and metaphor and proposes many potential ways to transform the language into a more inclusive, relational way of communicating. She asks lots of generative questions throughout the book, and she grapples with real world examples of changing the language to accommodate a shifting worldview. What she has done in this book is immensely important. Not since David Bohm’s short-lived attempt at shifting English into a more verb-based language rheomode, based on the Greek rheo (to flow), has anyone tried to remedy this foundational dilemma of language being out of touch with reality.
Glenn Aparicio Parry, author of Original Thinking: A Radical ReVisioning of Time, Humanity, and Nature and Original Politics: Making America Sacred Again
She asks: ‘How much do we have to ruin life on Earth before we change our beliefs and their concomitant behaviors? How many species must die, how many rivers must dry up…?’ While she cannot answer the timing of this question, she does propose a solution: an emergent, integral form of both/and consciousness not unlike an emulsion of oil and vinegar that holds the integrity of the difference within a unified container. You might call it sacred mayonnaise. Or use Maroski’s own words: ‘interconnected opposites, interpenetrating ideas, and dynamic interdependence.’ This is exactly what the world needs now.
Embracing Paradox, Evolving Language is a rich exploration of the impact of language on our ability to live sustainably. Maroski argues that our language is a significant barrier to achieving a more holistic approach towards addressing our role in the destabilization of the Earth’s ecological system.
Bill Reed, Regenesis Group, co-author of The Regenerative Design Handbook
She highlights the dualistic perspective that underpins our language – either/or logic, the split between subject and object, the separation of ‘me’ and ‘not me’ – which has resulted in a mechanistic approach to fixing the damage rather than working with life on its own terms. Opposites remain polarized rather than being seen as mutually interdependent. Paradox is not antithetical to logic and life, it is an indicator of the capacity of life.
Maroski’s use of multiple sources provides rich perspective and insights into the consequences of language as an indicator and window of progress. This enjoyable read challenges us to think differently and opens the door to the subliminal work required to shift our engagement with life.