The Power of Words
Gossip exists everywhere that people live. The words spread through gossip often have the power to hurt not only the person who is the object of the gossip but also the listener who believes the gossip.
I remembered during my initial stage of my teaching career, I was posted to a neighbourhood school and seated opposite me was a teacher who seemed nice, likeable and fun to be with. As I got to know more of the other colleagues, I heard some negative gossip about him. It would have been very easy for me to dismiss him at that point and not to take the time to get to know him as a potential friend. However, my gut feeling told me otherwise as he didn’t seem like what I had heard. I decided to find out the truth for myself. As I got to know him, I discovered that he was more in line with my positive first impressions than with the negative rumours that I had heard. Later, when I met others who knew him better than the ones who had spread the rumours, very different things were said about him. I was glad that I had taken the time to get to know him rather than avoiding him based upon the gossip that I had initially heard.
If we succumb to believing all the gossip we hear, we could miss many important opportunities. Hearing negative gossip, we might fail to get to know someone new, give them a chance, form our own opinions and gain a new friend.
Not believing all the gossip we hear is one thing. Not spreading the gossip we hear is another. Refraining from gossip can be difficult as it is a natural part of human communication. I admit, myself, that while I try very hard to refrain from gossip – or at least attempt to say or repeat only positive things about people rather than ‘spread more poison’ – there are times when I catch myself slipping up. Sometimes, we just do it naturally and unwittingly. Many times, we believe that we are simply communicating ‘a truth’ when in fact we could be repeating an unsubstantiated rumour. Often, we don't mean to be hurtful and we may not even realise that we are saying something negative. But the poison is spread, the damage is done and someone can end up feeling hurt.
The ability to use words is the most powerful tool we have as a human being. But like a sword with two edges, our words can cut both ways. One edge is the impeccability of words which creates heaven on earth. The other edge is the misuse of words which creates a living hell. Our words can create the most beautiful dream or turn everything around us into a nightmare. Our words can heal a broken heart or break a healing heart. Thus, let’s all watch what come out of our mouths and learn to stop hurting one another and start creating more beauty and love with our words.
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