I truly believe that one of God's biggest gifts to me was the gift of word. I LOVE to write. I love to read. I love languages (especially English, lol) and learning new words. I think I have a fairly decent grasp of words, how to put them together, and how to write down what I think and feel.
Having such a love of words, I have come to understand the importance of knowing the power of your words. I know that with a simple sentence, I can uplift someone or bring them to their lowest point. I know that I can move and inspire people, or I can spread hate and fear.
Corny as it sounds, "with great power comes great responsibility." I believe that my words are my power and that my responsibility is to understand them and to use them wisely by spreading light and love to other people. I don't always succeed in this mission, but I do try my hardest.
What I think is important to know is that even if words aren't your particular strong point, they still have power. I believe that all people need to realize that what you say is going to affect someone, even if it's yourself. Granted things like tone and intention count for a lot when one is speaking, but even taking those into consideration, people need to be careful about what they say.
"Think before you speak" comes to mind at this point. Again, it's another rather corny expression but there is so much truth to that. What people need to realize is that when you speak, even if you intended something to be lighthearted and funny, it can still hurt someone.
Take "you're such a loser!" for instance. Now, in written form you have no idea how I might have said that, you have no idea if I am picking on someone in a friendly, teasing manner or if I'm seriously calling them a loser. Even if I was trying to be funny and teasing, those words can really hurt someone. You never know what someone's trigger is. You never know what phrase, while in typical conversation might be perfectly acceptable, could really hurt someone's feelings.
Of course, there is no way that everyone (or really anyone for that matter) would be able to pause before every word they spoke to make sure it wouldn't hurt someone. The point is, if you find out you've hurt someone with your words, even if it was unintentional, I believe an apology should be in order.
What strikes me as rather sad is that putting people down is such a common occurence these days. Girls call each other such awful names, like "bitch", "slut", "whore", etc. It saddens me that this has become acceptable in society. No one even thinks twice! Probably because if they did really think about the impact of those words, they'd actually feel the pain that those words can bring.
Another thing I find sad is how often the words "love" and "hate" are thrown around. Those words used to have such powerful meaning behind them and it's quickly being drained. It doesn't mean the same thing when someone says "I love you" or "I hate you". Those phrases used to be used when a person actually felt those emotions. Now, they're just thrown out in casual conversation.
It's next to impossible to say everything you might say with love and kindness. Everyone has moments when mean, rude, and hateful words come out of their mouths. But I believe that everyone should strive to make most of their words come from a place of love.
Be careful of what you say. Because words give you power. Sometimes a power you never even knew you could have.
lindsayallison
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