Words Are Powerful

As I drove west on the highway the other night, I passed a billboard. Usually, I ignore the things, hating the way they block the views of the landscape. But for some reason this particular sign caught my attention. It was very simple. Just 8 words, a plain, solid color background, no embellishments.  No reason this billboard should have set itself apart from the rest that had been relegated to the land of nuisances. But it did catch my eye, and it stirred my thoughts.

"Words are Powerful. Watch how you use them."

That was the message that jumped out at me. I've learned enough over the years to know that there's something more than mere chance working when something captures you and captivates you. I've come to understand that sometimes the Goddess (or Universe, One Source, Spirit, God, or whatever name you use for that force greater than ourselves) whispers to you, sometimes she screams, and sometimes she just hits you upside the head with a 2x4. I'm still learning to pay attention to the whispers, and therefore avoid the screaming and head whomping. I decided to treat this billboard message as a whisper, just to be on the safe side.

When I read those 8 words, my first thought was that they were meant as a warning. Watch what you say, because words can hurt. They can and they do. There are so many ways they can hurt, too. There are the hurtful words of the childhood bully that sing-song in a child's psyche long after they stop being a child. A few years ago,  I saw a television show that addressed the issues of bullying and teasing. Statistics and analysis were interspersed with interviews with actual victims of such treatment. I vividly recall a woman in her late forties breaking down into tears when she recounted the taunts and teasings she endured in school. Nearly thirty years since she'd been in school, and yet those wounds were as raw as the day they were inflicted on her. Words are powerful, indeed. There are the racially motivated slurs slung about by those motivated by their own fear and ignorance. There are the angry insults hurled by a parent, friend or lover, that cannot be undone, no matter how much they are regretted afterwards. So many ways we've learned to hurt each other with words.

Even when no harm is meant, careless, thoughtless words can wound as well. Like telling a child that they're bad, instead of explaining that the thing they did was bad. Like making a joke about someone's weight, or some other physical feature. You might think it's funny. The object of your humor might even laugh at the time. But those words cut deep. How often do we toss words about, let them fall where they may, and never consider the damage they do? 

These thoughts ran through my head for a few miles and then the direction of my musings shifted. Yes, words are powerful in the harmful sense, but they can be even more powerful when used with positive intent. When you go about your life hurrying from here to there, it's easy to miss the opportunity to uplift and heal with your words. In this technological world, we, as humans, are experiencing a profound disconnect with each other.  We are cocooning ourselves in a solitary world because we are too busy to slow down, reach out with love and compassion and use our words for good.

A recent episode at a Journey of the Spirit event resounded with me deeply. As part of a lesson on "Happiness In Spite of Circumstance",  the participants turned to the person in a neighboring seat, and related to them their life story in 60 seconds. It was a lesson in perspective, but it made me cognizant of something more. The fact is, you never really know what someone's story is. You never know what burdens they carry. And you never know how much healing and love you can impart to someone with just a few simple words. "You look wonderful, today."  " I love your smile." "You are so patient." "I'm glad I know you." Or even just, "I love you."
  A wise woman I know tells me that people don't tell each other they love them enough. She says the very act of saying those words opens and heals your own heart, as well. So yes, words are powerful. Words spoken in anger or derision can wound. But words spoken with loving intent are even more powerful. Those "words from the heart" can heal the wounds.

Words are powerful. Watch how you use them.