THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR IT - The Pocket Internet

"THE GREEKS HAD A WORD FOR IT"

I am quite sure that you have noticed that there is a peculiar property of all years that end in the number nine. In a year ending in nine, it is the immutable law of our culture that speeches should address themselves to the coming decade.

My big problem is that my secretary keeps excellent files. She has files of my speeches in years ending in nine. Beginning in 1939, and rolling on through '49,'59, and '69. In each of these years I dealt with what I perceived to be the challenges of the coming decade.

"God has denied me
the gift of prophecy."

These speeches have one thing in common. They reveal, upon careful rereading, that I had no idea whatsoever what was going to happen in the following ten years. It is clear that, as He has in many things, God has denied me the gift of prophecy.

Thus, it seems safer for me today to face backwards, in the hope that I can tell you better where we have been than I can tell you where we are going.

Even this is not too certain. I don't know whether you noticed it, but last month was a very bad month for history. We may have detected a 100% error in the history of the universe. Here we had been, going along in perfectly carefree fashion, secure in the belief that the universe was 18 billion years old. Then on November 14 came the news that fresh information indicates that it is only 9 billion years old. Fortunately, I did not plan to look back that far and nothing in this speech had to be rewritten as a result.

But I plan to look back farther than you may expect. For, as you may occasionally have told your children, you were not born yesterday, either.

Gathered in this room are people of many backgrounds and disciplines. But I believe you have at least one thing in common -- you are distinguished by your knowledge of how to communicate effectively. That recognition takes a very substantial form. You are paid for it. You are professionals.

"For if you are
in advertising,
public relations
or marketing, you
are a professional
communicator."

For if you are in advertising, public relations or marketing, you are a professional communicator. More particularly, your area is persuasive communication. And finally, your most distinctive skill is your special knowledge of how to communicate a persuasive message to thousands or millions of people.

As you well know, there are many people who question the need or the morality of such a function. They deny that it serves any real social or economic purpose. They further see what you do as purely the product of the excesses of modern industrial society.

"What would be the worst
that would happen if
you no longer existed?"

They think, in fact, that you are disposable.

Is this true? If so, why did you exist in the first place? What would be the worst that would happen if you no longer existed?

I believe that in order to answer those questions it is necessary to go back to the beginning.

Let's start with human communications in its most primitive form.

"When we consider the talents
of children, it seems
improbable that there
would ever be a demand
for professional communicators."

Almost all babies begin to communicate within moments after they are born. A baby begins life by complaining loudly and making a mess of his immediate environment. Some babies appear to concentrate on complaining and making messes for the rest of their lives. But the vast majority very rapidly develop communications skills of a higher order. To be sure, they apply these skills primarily against their parents with effectiveness that in other circumstances would be regarded as blatant manipulation.

Who can fail to be impressed with the communications skill of small children when it comes to a spirited defense of staying up after bedtime, or a categorical rejection of especially nutritious food prepared on their behalf?

When we consider the talents of children, it seems improbable that there would ever be a demand for professional communicators.

Yet professional communicators are of great antiquity.

It was Plato who pointed out that the origins of ancient Greek democracy had their source in the invention of professional communicators. He traced this back to the fall of a tyrant in the city of Syracuse in 466 B.C. The immediate problem that the citizens faced was how to reallocate the land among themselves, in the absence of any records to support their prior claims.

"...a communications problem
that we have not solved
to this very day:
how do we get together?"

Quite naturally, it seemed like a good idea for everybody in town to get together and discuss how this should be done.

And right here we have a communications problem that we have not solved to this very day: how do we get together?

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