That’s kind of a huge topic, but one piece of it is “learn to speak with intent”.
I know it’s cool to tell The Olds that communicating in more than ironic in-crowd gibberish and meme-speak is unnecessary, and if you have nothing particular or intimate to convey, that’s probably true. A “THIS IS FINE” gif can get a point across to a diverse population with minimal effort, after all.
But that’s the thing… expressing your emotions shouldn’t be easy. They’re your emotions, and they’re precisely as memorable and meaningful as you make them. Don’t just spew your thoughts… make careful choices.
Something I constantly recommend: Al Pacino directed one of my favorite movies back in ‘96, entitled Looking For Richard. On the surface, it’s an excuse for a bored fiftysomething to indulge himself and his film-actor buddies… “let’s put on a cheap production of Richard III and record it!” But in reality, it’s (a) the best Shakespeare For Dummies ever created, and (b) an opportunity for Pacino and the audience to explore what it means to use language to extract and elevate the base material of the human condition.
And the tone is set in the first five minutes, when a toothless old homeless guy speaks fervently to the camera.
Go watch it, if you can find it.
