Thursday, October 23
War of words...
Ha, I can post again...without having to sign up - it's a sign...well, maybe not :)
The one thing that I was recently reminded of is that negativity only begets negativity. It is incredibly tempting to hit back, to set the record straight, to give people a taste of their own medicine and before you know it, you're lost in a war of words.
Someone said that words are nothing...I couldn't disagree more...words are EVERYTHING. Wars have been faught because of words...words have brought people up against each other, words have pushed people to cut each other's throats - the Holocaust wouldn't have happened without words, the war in Iraq wouldn't have happened without words.
Some people are vicious by nature, but the majority of people just 'shuffle along'...they go about their daily business, they go to work, bring their kids to school, eat, drink, go out once in a while, sleep.
You need powerful words if you want the common man to go and kill someone, hate someone; nobody wants war, but if you sell it well enough, you can make people believe in anything - that a peaceful and safe environment can only be achieved by bombing entire countries back to the Stone Ages - that followers of a certain religious cult are Untermenschen - that people with a darker complexion are less intelligent than people with a fair skin...
Sounds crazy, but that's what many people believed for a LONG time...still believe sometimes.
'The word is more powerful than the sword' - words have built up dictatorships and they have made them crumble. Words are meaningful, words are powerful and words can be incredibly hurtful - as they cannot simply be erased from your memory.
Regarding negativity and violence...sometimes it's best to just walk away.
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11 comments:
Amen to that!!
Well put Stone. Spot on. People just don't realize the power of words...and the power of persuasion by words.
I knew a nun once who told me to always take a minute before responding to someone with angry words, more minutes for more anger. I think that was the best advice I ever got anywhere. xo
Hmm. I read this post twice because I felt like I wasn't getting it. Then I came to the conclusion that you're saying two different things, Stone.
One point you are making is that words are very powerful and I certainly agree with you there. The other point is that we should ignore negative speech. That I disagree with. I think what you are trying to say maybe is that there are some people you can't really talk with because they don't listen. I agree with that. On the other hand, I think we need to condemn hate speech, and in doing that we are using words...and perhaps, strong and even "negative" ones.
**I think we need to condemn hate speech** - I totally agree, Elizabeth...I was saying *sometimes* it's best to just walk away...sometimes it's better to leave a heated argument be.
Words can be like permanent ink...and when you're upset, you sometimes say things that you might and will regret.
That nun's advice is pretty brilliant...
Ah, WORDS!
First of all, amazing post, Stone!
Secondly words are both a mirror of the non-material world reflected on the material world so they should be handled with care since the growth of a spoken thought's popularity can result in material consequences. Look at the Nazis. Hey - look at the Bible. Words have huge consequences because human beings 1) can't avoid them if they are thrown their way, and 2) human beings realize that words are all we have to excercise power anymore.
And if words sound attractive enough, they are taken to heart when we come across them. When they support ideas that constitute our realities. So unstable inner tendencies can be greatly enhanced by exchanging words amongst a group of people who feel the same frustration. And they are, besides crime, our only means to fight reality. So they should be taken seriously.
In fact, words have more consequences than a lot of things. Look at commercials. You can't sell products on their looks alone, especially not if there are alternatives out there. You need to sell them as something helpful, better or more substantial. And only words can do that. Words are the key to influence and influence can be abused.
Am I still making sense? LOL I've been studying philosophy all day and my head hurts.
Either way, words are indeed dangerous because they always have consequences (if not for the listeners then for the speaker him or herself!) and negative words should not be fought but balanced out by positive words that are sold with the same passion. At least that's my idea about it.
Dire que les mots ne sont rien il n'y a rien de pir comme demonstration d'inculture. On se rend pas compte à quel point les point peuvent avoir comme impact.
"Someone said that words are nothing"
Cette personne est stupide rien de plus , enfin c'est mon avis ^^
C'est vraiment un plaisir de te lire j'aime ta façon de penser.
oups je voulais dire 'ingnorance' et pas inculture lol mon cerveau est ailleurs
***C'est vraiment un plaisir de te lire j'aime ta façon de penser***
Merci de ton compliment!! C'est vraiment dingue, mais j'ai pensé à toi aujourd'hui...elle est folle la vie parfois...
Oui, t'as raison...on doit être assez stupide pour le croire vraiment. Mes de toute facon, la personne qui a laissé ce commentaire est quelqu'un d'hyper-limité - au moins par rapport à ses autres commentaires.
Mes...je voulais dire *mais*...je suis trop fatiguée là :-)
Nell, you said: "Look at the Nazis."
That's JUST what I had in mind...a friend of mine read 'Mein Kampf' and she said that it was incredibly well written, intriguing and in its own way, incredibly logical...scaringly logical.
"Merci de ton compliment!! C'est vraiment dingue, mais j'ai pensé à toi aujourd'hui...elle est folle la vie parfois..."
De rien c'est sincère. Ah bon ? lol comme quoi les coincidences !
Oui tu as trouver le mot "limité" le genre de personne qui ferai mieux de changer de trottoir si ils me recontrent. Ce genre de personnes m'enervent toujours , parce que j'ai la naiveté de croire qu'on ne puisse pas etre aussi con ( excusez du mot ) mais si si ca existe et ca m'etonne toujours.
Oui, oui, les coincidences...j'y crois pas...je pense que pas mal de choses arrivent pour une raison.
Je te comprends...oui, ca étonne toujours...la stupidité illimitée de quelques individus...la vache! :-)
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