The Power of Words
Most of us can remember this saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me...."
I used to sing the tune when I was a child. When I was grown, I spouted it often to my children. They'd come home from school, hurt and frustrated from a harsh (and sometimes cruel) remark made by one of the other children. I continued to soothe their pain by telling them that the mean words could not hurt them.
In a sense, I was wrong. Words can harm a person's soul. Break their spirit.
Yes, we can choose to put up barriers and not allow those callous and unkind words to seep in, but often times, they do resonate inside us. They can hurt.
With the birth of social media, the power of words can be more bitter, harsh, cruel, and downright nasty. I've witnessed many a tweet, email, and online conversation where the written word contained such negativity, I had to turn away. Trust me, I was not the victim (or target), but I was left hurting and in pain.
Did they not know the choice of words they were using? When did our language become fueled with such negativity? Do I seek the answers to these questions I've posed? No. Yet I felt compelled to write a post about the power of words in a conversation.
As a writer, I love words, so I'm always finding new ones for my stories. I've been told that my stories have made others cry. It's the way I weave a tale--the power of the word, right? I know I've digressed from my original thought process on this blog, but I hope you understand, dear readers. If words have the power to harm, they surely do have the power to uplift and encourage another. Therefore, I'm going to start each day with an affirmation of positive, uplifting words and pass them along.
Perhaps I'll spark something new.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but a positive and kind word to another will work wonders..."
