Value Lies In Context

Words are meaning's vessels. Simply put, a word is useless without knowing what it means. When words move us, be it narration or dialogue, it is because we understand their context. 

"We did our best" doesn't move people unless they know why it was said. Was it somebody who is ashamed to have lost? Was it somebody explaining why they won? Was it somebody neutrally explaining what happened? We cannot know how to react without the emotional context. The words hold no value on their own. 

As a man who loves words, this is a strange thing to accept. What I have devoted so much time and energy in is relatively empty. It's like discovering you spent your money on tea cups but thinking it was on tea. 

But once you do accept it, it's no big deal. Value lies in context. You can tell a great storyteller not because they choose excellent words, but because they create such striking and incredible words and scenarios that even the simplest words and shake a person to their core.