Learning a new language is hard, time-consuming and expensive. Here are six reasons why I think learning your national sign language is worth doing anyway.
Stay connected
If you are fortunate enough to live until you are old, you will lose some or all of your hearing. For many people, this means isolation and loneliness. Assistive hearing technology is great but, with your hands and your face, you already have everything you need to keep communicating after your ears give out.
Be more creative
Language is more than the way we communicate, it’s the way we think. The more languages you know, the more ways you have of thinking about the world, the more creative you are able to be.
Fend off senility
A good way to keep your brain working properly is to keep your brain working. Learning a language works your brain hard. I go home from my BSL classes both mentally invigorated and exhausted.
Encounter beauty
Sign languages are beautiful – the information density, the subtlety, the layers of meaning. I don’t know if it’s possible to not be exhilarated once you start to understand it.
Wade into a different culture
One of the best ways to get out of your bubble and shake up your sense of reality is to put yourself into a different culture. Deaf culture exists in most towns and every city. Learning the language is the way in. I spent Sunday on a long walk with three deaf people. My world became bigger this weekend because of those folks’ patient generosity.
Become a bridge
When you know more than one language, you can connect people who don’t. That’s an incredible privilege.
I’ve been in a post-U2 phase for a while. Then just before I wrote this I was listening to Rick Rubin interviewing The Edge, because obviously. They talked about Walk On, a song I had forgotten about and until an hour ago never truly appreciated just how good it is. Headphones on loud.
If you are a founding member of FFOREST, you will be pleased to read that your promised print is planned in my head and the drawing is happening this week.
Grow slowly
Jeff
P.S. My book will almost certainly make you feel happiness five or more times. Grab a copy for yourself and a few others for the people on your gift list.
🤟🏿☝🏾✌🏽👌🏻👍