COLUMN: Words matter
We have all heard the phrase, "sticks and stones can break my bones but words cannot hurt me."
Such a saying could not be further from the truth. In fact, it is the biggest croc I have ever heard in my entire life. The saying should instead say, "sticks and stones can break my bones and words can break a soul." It may sound a bit corny, but it is true.
I know it isn't healthy to be heavily concerned with what others say, but as social creatures we cannot help it sometimes.
Social interaction with others is necessary for survival. It starts at birth and continues until we die.
As a student, I care what my professor thinks of me because he or she has the final say on my grades. I care what my father thinks of me because he still helps me out and takes care of me. I care what my friends think of me because they are people I can relate to and I know they would be straightforward if there was something they wanted to tell me.
If words did not matter, young adults and teens would not commit suicide because of constant and harsh bullying. Bullying is by far the best example of the magnitude that words can have. Whether it is done in school or through a social networking site, bullying has gotten to the point where there are laws against it. If words did not matter, heartsick folks would not cry because they were dumped. If words did not matter, people would not buy into false rumors. Words do matter, and as social creatures they can be the difference between life and death, happiness and depression, jokes or insults.
I am extremely sensitive, so I always make sure I never say something to offend anyone else. I am a firm believer in the positive power of kind words, or even non-verbal communication. Flash a smile at a stranger or compliment someone, because something as simple as that is one step we can all take to improve the world.
The most important thing is to think before you say something to someone, because you never know what people could be going through. We all have a story. At the end of the day, I do not know everyone's life story, but I do know I would not want to be the one to set a person off.
The people who won't purposely go out of their way to hurt me with their words are the important people in my life. I say care what your loved ones think and say and everyone else's opinions are expendable. Words do hurt, but we can somewhat control how we react to them based on relationships. I simply choose to watch what I say to others and let forked tongues fall on deaf ears.
