Have you noticed how hatred and violence have become more prevalent in this country? It’s disturbing to me that many people have become so mean-spirited and want to physically harm others. Not all violence is physical, however…WORDS ALSO MATTER. We can all do our part to “stop the hate (or hurt) with our words. When my kids were growing up, I stressed to them that when someone says something offensive, don’t respond for at least 15 minutes. The first words out of one’s mouth are not always the best or even nice, for that matter. I said that after 15 minutes, if it was still bothering them to go talk to the person and ask what they meant by their words and just talk it out. Many times, we don’t realize how we sound when we speak in anger.
If we all try to watch our words, we can help tame the mean-spiritedness around us. We may not be perfect at it, but it certainly will help. We often hear people say “It’s my first amendment RIGHT to say whatever I want!”! I don’t believe that our founders intended for this to permit anyone to say hurtful and mean-spirited things to and about others. It is my belief that we have these rights until they infringe on someone else’s rights…. then there has to be a compromise.
Proverbs 17:24 says: “Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body”.
THINK BEFORE WE SPEAK, SHOULD BE OUR MOTTO!
Carole Martin
Image by John Hain from Pixabay
