It's the Gestures that Get to You

Ever found yourself deeply moved as you watched other people? What was it that got to you? Was it what they said? Or what they did? Or was it the fact that behind the simple acts (speech or otherwise) you saw the depth of meaning being conveyed? I will bet you a euro for a euro-dime that it's the 'higher meaning' of a simple act that had the capacity to move you. It's what we call a nice gesture, a gesture of good faith, a gesture of support', or a gesture of love, loyalty, forgiveness, etc. Here's a nice story of how a simple act of waving a raised finger to a song became a grand gesture of allegiance to a school, and how it will be sorely missed. It's a lot like Hook 'em Horns for the University of Texas.

Tags: gesture, semiotics, meaning, gesture-simple, gesture-complex