Power of WORD

"STICKS & STONES MAY BREAK MY BONES BUT NAMES WILL NEVER HURT ME!"

I don't think there's one person reading this who has never said or at least heard that phrase before. I can remember it being very popular for parents to toss at their kids who were getting terrorized daily by the local bully. Parents preached this to kids so much that kids preached it to each other. Of course with kids it was usually while they were calling each other names and right when someone got really pissed this cliche' phrase would come blurting out of one of the child's mouth. Well, I for one knew better than to believe that words didn't hurt because when the wrong words came out of my mouth as a child, my parent's foot went up my @$$!

I do feel that it's ok to preach to young children that words are harmless with hopes of de-escalating a situation. And as far as I can remember, most of the time it worked for kids. Now when those kids become adults, the story changes. Words become WEAPONS. Weapons that at times destroy lives. That's because when we're adults it doesn't matter if words offend us or not. What matters is if what we say offends some other adult who may respond violently with sticks and stones to our harmless words.

The word of an adult can build a bridge, corrupt a court, tame a heart, destroy a mind, launch a rocket, eradicate a society, and worse of all, demean mankind as a whole. Evidence has even been provided by science that verbal abuse can be worse than actual physical abuse in relationships. Our politicians use words to negotiate and make huge things happen for the masses, and sometimes when a wrong word is said, wars occur where millions die. We all witness daily how a simple word from a person causes all types of almost magical things to happen, but most of us still choose to pretend as if "saying something" means nothing. Some people are even naïve enough to insult someone and then to claim that our laws of justice exist so they can say the things that they want to say.

I'm confident to say that every adult probably understands and agrees that words do hurt and are very powerful. We all know that we can be seriously harmed and even killed if we choose to say the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time. Words at times can seize control of the human mind and force it to react in an abnormal, stupid manner unlike it usually would. So as adults we have to be careful of what we say.

There is another destructive power that a word has that is nothing like the power that has been mentioned. This one may not even instigate physical harm towards us but it still can hurt a part of us that is very important. It can harm our integrity. But the twist behind this act of harm is that it can not be done to us by another. Only we can do it to our self by giving our word out to someone who trusts us and breaking our word. Even though many operate daily in this manner while comfortably feeling as if no harm will ever come to them, it does. The harm surfaces through the loss of a trusting admirer and the accumulation of a reputation as someone who others should not trust.

The world may be overflowing with people who have no respect for their word or the word of others, and they are the ones that you should not be worried about. Be concerned about the ones who DO care about their word and yours because they are the ones that can be trusted when your back is turned to them.

It may even be acceptable in modern society to break our word for personal gain and many would even excuse and applaud us for our snake in the grass effort as long as we have some sort of bling to flash for it. Wealthy liars are sought and admired by fools. And there are many fools in this world today.

When we choose to break our word so we can gain or progress, we trade the power of our word for whatever it is that we gained. Our word gets left behind with the people or person that we broke our word to. Additionally, the people who we betrayed our word to be with, will never trust us because they know in the back of their mind, that we will do the same to them as soon as it's profitable enough for us. They will never allow us to get close to them and may even use every effort to push us out before we get have a chance to betray them.

A good, dependable word functions like a protective cloak that repels away the dishonest and evil. No dishonest schemer wants an honest person around him because he knows that he can't buy him if he ever needs or wants to. Dishonest people see nothing that they can gain for themselves from honest people so they avoid them. This is good for people who keep their word because eventually, all that will remain around them are other people who also are good to their word. This will form a comfortable community of trustworthy people who can prosper happily together unlike a community of liars.

Our word should be valued and issued with our life sworn upon the commitment of giving it. If not, don't give it! Having a strong word will take you far with the ones who eventually matter. Now understand that being a person of trickery, deceit, and lies will also take you far, but I caution that the path of self serving deceit will surround you with people of the same cowardly character. You will spend your days void of true friendship, and paranoid while constantly squirming and plotting so you can beat your associates to the next lie.

Maintaining a solid word with sincerity and longevity conditions your awareness to quickly identify the behavior patterns of dishonest and self serving people. You will notice awkward eye contact, forced and false expressions, out of place manners, small acts of desperation, spontaneous nervousness, awkward questioning and more. Caution yourself when around people who fit the profile of a dishonest person, but never mistreat them. You could be wrong about them, but even if you are correct, it is uncivilized to mistreat them if you have yet to have any bad dealings with them personally. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty so be fair as you may be the individual whose kindness may encourage them to better themselves.

We should protect our word like it is our child. When we keep our word pure it grows stronger and stronger along with our character and influence. We develop a reputation among men as a person who can be trusted where others can't. We develop a reputation among women as a person who they can trust not to take advantage of them. We develop a reputation among children as the person that they can trust to run to for safety if they ever need it. And along with this reputation comes a combined gift from all of these men, women and children that can not be purchased or even rented by money. We are awarded their sincere admiration.

And THIS, ...is a "way" of the "Warrior's Edge". -Jermaine Andre'