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Today's
quotation:
The words we
choose can build communities, reunite loved ones, and
inspire others. They can be a catalyst for change.
However, our words
also have the power to destroy and divide: they can start a
war, reduce
a lifelong relationship to a collection of memories, or end a life.
Simon S. Tam
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Today's
Meditation:
Words.
What an incredibly powerful tool-- or weapon-- we have in
the words that we know! Learning how to use our
words effectively, in positive ways, can be one of the
best lessons that we'll ever learn, good for us and for
the other people in our lives. Being careless with
our words or using them to harm someone else can make us
miserable when we're trying to be happy and loving.
The
important part of Simon's words are the first four:
"The words we choose." Our words are our
choice, even when we speak quickly without taking time to
think-- we choose to speak with little care, in ways that
are destructive and harmful. There really is no
denying that, even if we want to rationalize our choices
and make excuses for what we've said.
I try
very hard to watch my words because I know from experience
that I have the potential to hurt other people pretty
seriously. I don't want to do that, and the only way
that I can try to make sure that I don't hurt is to watch
my words very carefully. I don't want to be in a
situation in which I have to say, "But that's not
what I meant," or, "you're taking it all
wrong." I'd rather not have to talk my way out
of an awkward situation caused by my poor choice of words.
We
think a lot about choices that we make, but we don't seem
to think as much about our words being choices. They
are, though, and we really should take care with
them. In fact, I often find that it's better to say
absolutely nothing when I feel that I may say something
wrong or harmful. Words can be wonderful allies that
can bring about a lot of good, so we don't want to abandon
them; we just want to pick them carefully and use them to
create and encourage, not destroy and discourage.
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