Words can steal, heal, reveal

Words that Steal

Stealing someone’s joy hurts them as deeply as stealing their physical possessions. When we say something unkind to others, we are stealing their self-esteem. When we interrupt others and “steal” their punch line, we’re taking away their joy of sharing humor. And has anyone ever told you “who did it” when you’ve been enjoying a mystery? And didn’t you have a sense of loss?

Words that Heal

When we practice kindness, we share words that heal, soothe, and uplift. When someone encourages you with the words “you can do it” as you face a challenge, they can give you a sense of value and self-esteem.

Words that Reveal

I believe that the metaphysical meaning of the ninth commandment, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor,” means our only business is to be a witness to the Truth of another’s divinity. And seeing less than the divine in someone else is metaphysical malpractice. Their behavior may be inappropriate, but their divinity remains intact. Both they and we are expressions of Spirit, doing the best that we can.

Life shows up according to our pronouncement of it or our belief in it, whichever is greater. We can watch our words carefully. We can choose words that heal and reveal, and cast aside words that steal.

If we are ever in doubt, we can let kindness be our guide.

Words are to heal, inspire, encourage, comfort, edify, soothe, teach, guide, admonish, grieve, provide insight, pass on wisdom, etc.

This is called communicating or expressing oneself.

Words can also tear down, destroy, diminish, minimize, criticize, demean, intimidate, accuse, blame, defame, etc.

This is also called communicating or expressing oneself.

Which type of communication would you prefer (regardless of whether you are doing the talking or doing the listening?)

Once upon a time…

Once upon a time, there was a king who had gone to visit his neighboring kingdoms. He was gifted a pair of baby Macaw Parrots by one of the kings. They were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. So upon returning to his kingdom, he called for a bird trainer and asked him […]

I can’t. I’m Grounded!

Does that message ring a bell with any of the rest of you? When I was growing up, getting grounded meant that I wasn’t allowed to do the things that I valued most at the time. These days, I often feel called to ground myself when I feel like I need to take a break […]

Life’s washing machine

When you open the lid of the washing machine during the agitation cycle, you find gray, smelly water full of the dirt and residue from the clothes you are washing. If you didn’t understand the process, you’d think something had gone terribly wrong since the process is supposed to clean the clothes, and now they […]

Ready for a new beginning?

Something new beckons. But are you trying to stay put because it’s familiar? Like a chick in an egg, do you find your comfortable shell becoming cramped? Spring is a reminder that growth and transformation is normal and natural. This cycle of nature brings changes in the weather, extended hours of sunlight, the birth and […]

an old Persian saying…

There is a fable of a powerful king who asked his wise men to find something that would make him happy when he was sad, and sad when he was happy. After deliberation, the sages handed him a single ring with the Persian words “This too shall pass” etched on it. It had the desired […]

Our two helpful lists…

Once upon a time…a man was walking down a road. At first the places were known to him, but became less and less familiar. Finally he knew he was in a new place and was lost. The traveler kept walking until he was at the foot of a steep hill. He was too tired to […]

Simple as ABCD…

We often find ourselves at the mercy of our emotions. And so often find we that we react rather than respond, much to our chagrin. So the next time we feel fear, anger or frustration, we could try this: A is for Adversity. Like traffic or a rainstorm. Sorry, no genie can let us wish […]

The weight of our stress

A psychology professor teaching stress management principles held up a glass of water and asked her students a different question than the expected half empty/half full one. She asked “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?” Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple of pounds. She replied, “From my […]

So, which one are you?

When the other person takes a long time, they’re slow. When I take a long time, I’m thorough. When the other person doesn’t do it, they’re lazy. But when I don’t do it, I’m busy. When the other person does something without being told, they’re overstepping their bounds. But when I do it, that’s initiative. […]