My dad had a brown leisure
suit. He didn’t really leisure in it. My mom had pedal pushers. She pushed nary
a pedal in them. I have a laptop and never have I placed it on my lap.
Words mean so much. They’re
powerful. We have to be “careful” with them. We don’t want to “hurt” feelings
with them. We don’t want to “offend” with them. We don’t want to “waste” them.
They’re that precious.
In fact, they are so powerful
that entire countries rely on them for their message. At this point,
journalists have died by them, if not ruined their careers by them. Words don’t
play.
Throughout my life I’ve been in
conflict with the power of words. Use good words. Use your inside voice, I’ve
told my children really without much thought. Here we are now in a place where
words make or break a situation.
I remember when words were
just words. We struggled to not take
them seriously. I have wanted all my life to give power to words and to take it
away practically in the same breath. I didn’t mean it. What did you say? Say
again?
I’ve even lauded over others
the fact that I can string words along in a row neatly sometimes. I can usually
spell okay. I’m acutely aware that other people can’t. Hmm, this means I’m
“better” than them because I’ve mastered the art of putting a simple sentence
together. Does this mean I can add more stuff to my resume?
How powerful can they be? Can
they describe how I feel right now? Can they tell you what it looks like out my
window?
We’ve read them for centuries
and been amazed by their meaning and their depth. There’s Albert Camus, Carson
McCullers, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Faulkner. And let’s not forget St. Augustine
and St. Teresa of Avila and the desert fathers and oh, for God’s sake, I’m only
naming my personal favorites. Words can change everything.
Whether we read them or we
speak them, they are the most powerful thing we have. More powerful than guns;
and make no mistake, words are a powerful weapon.
The words we use to comfort,
to love, make a difference that we can’t even measure. Who knows how powerful I
love you is? I feel pretty confident saying I love you means everything to
everyone. No matter who’s saying it, that’s powerful. Life changing.
What if we used our words for
good? What if we made a choice to only use words that lift up and don’t tear
down? What kind of a difference would that small everyday choice make? And not
just that choice but that practice.
If something negative starts
to come out of your mouth and you nip it in the bud and change it to something
positive
. . . that’ll make a difference
to the person you’re speaking to. Might make their day. Might change their
life.
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