About the word ‘Line’s

This is a bit of a rambling post, rambling about the various ways that American English contextualizes the word ‘line’ and it’s symbolic meaning as well as it’s uses in language.

A line can mean a rope in seamanship, it can be a line that holds things or ties things together. The speed of the vessel is measured in ‘knots’ for annotating the amount of knots that can be seen on throwing a ‘common log’ overboard and timing the amount of knots that would pass in a given frame of time. This was a way to measure speed of a ship.

To Hold Fast is in regards to ‘Holding the line’ and keeping things steady or taught as you venture through the seas.

In other contexts, a line can be the ‘frontlines’ or a border. In a battlefield there would be a line that demarcates territories between the conflicting factions. The Battlefront would be the front of battle, and there would be a line between the two conflicting organisms or nations rather. That line is the front line.

A Back line would be the support and auxiliary and command structures that are the next viable defense point away from the front line. Or they could be the backlines of a rank and file formation. We tended to use lines for columns and rows of soldiers all throughout conventional warfare, before the rise of guerilla tactics. Think of our archers, crossbowmen, longbowmen, artillery, mortars, snipers, and the like.

To be a Frontliner in war, means to be on the front lines. To be behind enemy lines, would mean to overreach into the enemy territory which runs the risk of not having support or supplies from logistics being too far advanced.

Sometimes this is called a ‘Hardliner’, a person who is hard onto the line. They are at the fore front of the line and are at the ‘edge of glory’. The edge of the line that defines people during war.

In terms of politics, a ‘hardliner’ is someone that rides the line politically. They are people who are advocating for either the push of the line towards the enemy or towards advancing the line to take up more territory. Border expansion.

A Line is a border in some ways. And those that watch over the borders are Border Lords, or Edge Lords. They lord over the distant lands that are seemingly far enough away from the Kingdom’s rule or correspondence or supply chain. The lands that are on the border are Borderlands, and they typically are rather lawless depending on the authority and control of the governance that rules that area. A weak lord or governmental regime won’t have the influence or power or authority to maintain the law. Thusly, those who are outside the law, or operate outside the law, would be called ‘outlaws’.

In terms of government, it is important to select a strong enough autonomous structure to properly rule and handle law in these lands. Typically a Duke or a Marquises or someone holding a slightly lesser position than the Highest authority whether king or Emperor holds these lands. It has to do with the backing and ramification and laws that give power to the one that rules the lands. To have enough power to actually make the lands manageable.

And in some cases, lines can be used to carry messages or leave notes and signs. Lines can carry knots, marks, or sticks in the Ogham script to mean something. Lines can be adding a telecommunication line, a phone line, a text line of communication.

Lines are very important because they allow for us to connect the dots.

Lines are a typically 2 dimensional representation of connecting two points to create an array or structure of advanced and higher dimensional design. In terms of sacred geometry, a line can create circles, squares, and higher ordered structures.

Arguably string theory is a theory using a line or lines as ‘strings’.

A line of text and a line of code can mean many things. We all typically read things line by line, word for word, and take things step by step.

Lines are a pervasive fundamental thing that is represented in our universe and reflects in our language as well. How we use lines to determine and color or paint our world or experiences is a reflection of how we see things and how they are ought to or meant to be.

Epilogue,

I just sort of rambled about lines to give some insight. This is one word that is used often throughout our English lexicon. The word ‘line’ can come to mean many things but has a general shape or form in terms of its meaning.

Studying the usage of the word allows us to peak into the grander nature and deeper wisdom of our collective unconsciousness, as the words and language are typically agreed upon social constructs passed down from generation to generation.

But again, this is just one word of many. Take a look around you and see what other words really speak out to you. Which ones are connected to other words and phrases. What do they mean?

Afterall,

Words Mean Things