The Power of Our Words
We don’t know how powerful we are. We really don’t know how much our words, the things we speak out into the world, into the ears of others, into the universe…. how much they shape our reality and relationships. I used to think I was too sensitive to words, measuring what others say and what they do with equal weight. When I speak, I try very hard to do so impeccably. To speak with clarity, with concision, with intention. I want to be heard, to be felt, to be understood, and I do my very best to give those speaking to me, that same space.
One of my teachers used to say, “words create worlds’. I feel that so deeply, They go out of our mouths and into the atmosphere and they change the dynamics we have with people. We can shift our relationships, our jobs, our lives from simply an utterance. We can speak badly about someone else to a friend or co worker, and this conversation can forever change the way the listener views this other person. It can completely erase the chance of two strangers becoming friends or business partners. Sharing information about others, whether it is true or not, can create tidal waves of change in our lives and the lives of others, that we can not possibly imagine.
There is this old story of a man standing on the street, he sees his neighbor a respectable businessman pass the local fruit stand, and take an apple without paying. The man watching is shocked and upset that this person his community trusts would do such a thing. He proceeds to tell his friends and neighbors, until many people in the community were no longer supporting the thief’s business. At some point he shares this information with someone who says “But this man pays each week for his apples in advance, I know because I do the same at this fruit stand”. The rumor spreading man feels horrible, he’s completely devastated his neighbor’s business and reputation to the point, he doesn’t know what to do to make it right. He goes to the businessman to confess and to let him know how truly sorry he is, he begs him to tell him how he can make it right. The business man says, “Come back tomorrow and I will show you how you can make this right. Please bring a feathered pillow with you and meet me on the roof top.” The next day, the men meet on the rooftop which overlooks the city. There is a slight breeze in the air, and the businessman says “Thank you for apologizing, I would like for you to cut this feather pillow open and shake the feathers out over the city.” Bewildered, he does so. The business man says “Now go and retrieve each feather and put it back into the pillow.” The neighbor says “That is impossible!”. The businessman replies, “Yes it is, unfortunately this is the truth also with rumors, you really have no idea how far and wide the words you speak have traveled. They fly on the wings of the wind, and you can never get them all back.”.
Since hearing this story and learning more of the power of our words, I have made more of an effort to speak truth, to not exaggerate, to not speak of others. It is a challenging task, but learning to say nothing rather than the wrong thing is what I strive to do. May we all realize our impact on others, and speak with kindness, truth, and open heartedness.
-Tia