Recently, I read an article online that made me cringe. I cringed at the fact that the person had the audacity to write such words with so little knowledge of their implications. Or maybe I cringed because I knew that the person was aware of the implications their words have and, because of a thirst for power, relevancy or whatever other self-serving reason, decided to publish anyway. Whichever reason it was published for, there is room for fear.
The implication of words is an interesting subject for me. After all, if we look at words at face value, they are only strings of letters which have been assembled. But when we look deeper into them, we realize the careful precision that was executed when assembling these letters. If it was not for this accuracy, our words would have no meaning. And so, the question that reigns in my head is "Why do people make the effort to assemble words into sentences that can possibly destroy other individuals, organizations, or the world in general?" This piece will attempt to answer this question.
I believe the reasons individuals decide to form sentences with the power to destroy come in two forms. The first form being that they underestimate the ability of their words to create destruction. The second being that their words will soothe a pain they feel.
Underestimation of Ability:
If you are going to underestimate your ability to impact the world, then why are you assembling your sentences in the first place? This is the part that makes little sense to me. When we do anything in life, we are told to do it with the utmost confidence. And when we speak or write, it should be no different. Subsequently, we should be aware of the implications that our words could cause. Our words could cause emotional distress or they can even be used against us. And I find it interesting that we are aware of the latter implication but choose to disregard the former. We are so quick to be upset when our words are used against us but choose to ignore the fact that our words could cause emotional distress. This, I feel, is the plight of the human condition; we react to what is done to us, yet ignore what we do to others.
Soothing a Pain:
This is the form that causes fear. This is the form that makes me lose hope in the world. When people choose to use their words for evil I cannot help but wonder if it is because they do not believe their words are evil. Do these people who choose to use their words for bad without knowing that what they are saying is bad? Or are the completely aware of the implications of their words and choose to say them anyway? We will explore the latter in the following sentences. I believe that some people are aware of the implications and decide to speak anyway. I believe they decide to speak destruction when they, themselves, feel destroyed. Their feeling destroyed makes them feel that there is no other way to relieve themselves of this pain and so they decide to destroy others. Instead of doing the much harder way of healing, which is to work on your pain, they decide to inflict pain on others as a mechanism for coping.
After reading this, I wonder what road you will take. Will you accept the implications of your words? Or will you continue to act as if your words create no harm? I dare you to take the road which will require more effort.
