56.7 F
Clarksville
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeSpiritualityThe Power of Thought and Speech

The Power of Thought and Speech

The Thinker
The Thinker

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!”

It was the mantra of the days of my youth, and one I often used to defend myself when insulting words were hurled at me like snowballs in the winter. Without even knowing the psychology behind it, the truth was (and is still today) that words do indeed hurt.

Emotional pain can hurt just as much, if not more than, physical pains—just ask anyone who has suffered a broken heart from a failed relationship.

In fact, I remember fracturing my ankle as a kid while I was riding my bicycle one day, I had to go to the emergency room to get a cast put on and I couldn’t walk on it for 12 weeks. It did eventually heal though. I also do remember during this same time frame a crush that I had on a girl in my class. I mustered up the courage to send her “the note.” You know what I’m talking about, “Do you like me? ‘Yes’ or ‘No,’ circle the answer.” The answer I got back was no, with a personalized note on the bottom of it, “Leave me alone, you’re ugly.”

Fractured and broken bones do heal; the body is designed to do so. But the broken spirit as a result of hurtful words can last for years, if not a lifetime. At the risk of transparency, this one comment affected my confidence for years as I moved into young adulthood. The power of words is like no other.

Words are weapons of death; words are instruments of life—depending on one’s motives. To go back thousands of years to the wisdom of the proverbs is to indeed confirm that Death and Life are in the power of the tongue.

Consider Simon Cowell who is best known as a judge on the reality television singing competition American Idol. As a judge, Cowell quickly became known for his frank, offensive and often demeaning criticisms about contestants and their singing abilities.

Said Cowell to one particular contestant, “If you would be singing like this two thousand years ago, people would have stoned you.” The words of Simon Cowell have assassinated the hopes of many. This same Cowell, however, has also given rise to the confidence of dreamers on those rare occasions when he has chosen to give compliments.

That said, here is the perspective that I have equipped myself with regarding words—and it is both simple and complex: How I see me is how I will be. In other words, the ‘me’ that I think and believe that I am is what others will in fact see. Marianne Williamson, author of A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles” says, “You may believe that you are responsible for what you do, but not for what you think. The truth is that you are responsible for what you think, because it is only at this level that you can exercise choice. What you do comes from what you think.”

What we think of ourselves is the neutralizing force against the negative words and criticism levied against us. I have had the pleasure of seeing too many success stories of people who were told they would amount to nothing in life, use those very words as a catalyst to soar to greatness and success. In my own life, I have always tried to use my words to show gratitude to, grow and encourage those around me—it has been my very secret to wonderfully close and lasting relationships.

For as the proverbs say, “He who loves a pure heart and whose speech is gracious will have the king for his friend.”

Ramon Maisonet
Ramon Maisonethttp://twitter.com/#!/Innerlyfe
Ramon M. Maisonet is a counselor by profession and coordinator of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at Fort Campbell, KY. Ramon moved to Clarksville, TN in 2008 via a military change of station with his wife Teena and his son Marcus. He is a member of the Abundant Life Outreach Center and enjoys the mentorship of its senior pastor, Bishop Gary D. Ellis, Sr. Ramon is an aspiring author whose hobbies include writing poetry and playing chess. You can follow Ramon on Twitter: @Innerlyfe
RELATED ARTICLES

Latest Articles