Happy days! Here comes more rain!

Whilst watching a weather report the other morning I was struck by the reporter’s use of language in describing events and wondered what effect this may have on people.

In forecasting a day that appeared to want to consist of a mixture of sunshine, showers and cloud, she described this as being ‘unsettled’.

We all know what she means by this; the weather could change frequently throughout the day. So why not say just that?

The value judgement placed on the predicted events influences our response. Some people could spend the whole day wandering around feeling unsettled by unsettled weather and when that turns to cloud and rain the prophecy of further doom is fulfilled. When the sun shines they berate the weather reporter for ‘getting it wrong’, and for having to carry around a coat all day!

In the UK we have a particular relationship with the weather that borders on obsession. It is a regular pastime at bus stops, in queues and as a general ice-breaker when misery and distortion can band us together in a spirit of defiance not seen since Dunkirk, or as a resignation akin to the only other of life’s inevitabilities: taxes and death.

The dismal shroud with which we cloak ourselves however is of our own making. Rain is rain. Clouds are clouds. And, for that matter the sun is the sun.

We have responses to the world around us which help us make some sense of our experiences, and the judgements we place on events supply us with a framework upon which we build beliefs and values, and therefore a personal order of meaning.

Language is a powerful tool in constructing this world view, and if the sky is leaden our backs will tend to bend beneath it. But if the rain is rain, and is no more than that, you can begin to enjoy the clean-washed smells and splattering patters as part of something more and less than a constant annoyance.

Surely our lives are complicated enough without adding further to our woes by choosing language that reinforces stereotypical images to aid some weird sense of togetherness through adversity.

Pass judgement carefully and tread softly upon your verbs, because you never know whose nightmare you may awaken.

Oh, and believe in the power of waterproof clothing!