Speaking in powerful Stentorian tones, as if receiving the message from On High, the Lord God Almighty bringing the messages to the unwashed masses through the words of Her Great Prophet, the meaning is clear: all have sinned and have fallen short!
We’ve all heard people speak like this before. I do it all of the time, usually towards people I’m judging. If you’ve ever played Final Fantasy, it’s like when Sephiroth speaks, there’s this all powerful “Word of God” cadence to it that makes you think you’re either being judged harshly, or you’re in a Sir Laurence Olivier film.
Why not both?
Seriously, though, there are people who like to joke about this, and that’s cool, because it is kind of funny, but there is something interesting about it for me: if I’m speaking like this, it means that whatever anger and frustration I have is coming directly from my heart. It is bypassing my good sense entirely and pouring out for all to hear.
I don’t really know where the affectation comes from, but I’ve done it all of my life. I remember being a child, and my Sunday School teacher made a comment about sinners going to hell and, according to my mother who was in the room, I said something to the effect of “if God is truly as merciful and just, then every soul has the opportunity to be saved. Why, then, condemn them to a hell from which they can’t return?”
I mean, fuck, that’s some heavy shit for a child, and yet I said it. I have lots of memories of saying things that felt like they came from somewhere other than my mind, in that I don’t even recall thinking of them before saying them, and so I called those kind of moments “heartspeak,” because I can only assume that my heart became so overburdened with compassion, or anger, or whatever troubled it, had to be expressed immediately and brooking no uncertain terms.
In the olden days, I think people thought these were prophetic messages from God, or whatever deity they believed in, and honestly seeing some of them from the outside it can seem that way.
Then again, maybe I’m just being dramatic without realizing it. See, it’s not being done on purpose, I’m not trying to look like I’m some kind of arbiter of humanity, it’s just something that happens. Could it be related to my autism and ADHD? I’ve considered that, and it may be the same for a lot of other people.
You know, it would be interesting to find that most prophets throughout history were Autistic. Let’s not kid ourselves, some of us can act “odd” in the face of neurotypical behaviors, and so some I’m sure would see us as John the Baptist, living in the desert, living off of eating bugs and proclaiming the coming of the Lord, and such, so perhaps there is merit to it.
I do kind of like the idea that I was born and rolled either a Bard or a Cleric.
Anyway, that’s just something I was thinking about just now, and I wanted to mention it, and so if you see me doing this, I’m not being purposely dramatic, it really is something pouring out of me that has to be said, it is authentic, it is real. I can’t speak for everyone who does this, but I can speak for myself, and it is the real thing.
.Red
