Verbal Carnage

Are you leaving carnage behind by the words you speak?

This phrase/question popped into my mind after a boss made false accusatory statements multiple times to one of the employees.

Don’t believe the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

It simply is not true!

We are all more than just a body. We have a soul composed of mind and emotions which can fluctuate in an instant.

Do I want to be part of the wrecking ball of words…throwing inflammatory, hurtful, strikes wherever I go, whenever I want and to whomever I feel like?

I would rather be part of the healing salve of kind words and encouragement…which just might be no words spoken at all…especially in response to an accuser.

Mom always said, “Don’t stoop to their level.”

What if we all practiced daily, sometimes hourly, or if necessary minute by minute speaking helpful, healing words that leave people whole and better than before.

We must make these decisions in advance.

Start today. Decide where you want to improve yourself.

That’s half the battle, and there will be less carnage on the field.

…just a do-gooder?

How many times growing up when somebody attempted to do something nice for someone, say something nice to someone or actually did something nice for someone, were they accused of being a ‘do-gooder’. Today it is called ‘sucking-up’.

Since no one wants to be called names or accused of the above terms, many, many people with good intentions do nothing…absolutely nothing. And nothing good comes out of it.

I have been accused of being a ‘do-gooder’. I have let the fear of false accusations stop me from doing good, from helping others, from doing what I felt (knew) was right, because I was afraid of others calling me names.

There are many accusers trying to prevent others from doing good. In actuality, if the accusers had someone do something really good for them, they probably would change their tune. But the ole’ fear of what others might think or say holds many back.

The older I get, and the more pain and suffering I see, the more I realize the need to silence those fears, expose them for what they are and begin doing as much good as possible. We are each only given so much time on this earth… and there are a lot of needs … many hurting people, hurting in all kinds of unimaginable ways…hurting quietly, hoping no one will hear them cry. Are we going to continue to let them hurt when we can help them?

All it takes is to be on the lookout for ways in our everyday life to say, Hi, to be friendly to the cashier, or the old man behind us in line, to holler across the street at the neighbor and ask how they’re doing, to look our young people in the eye, smile at them and talk to them with interest, just show them somebody cares.

Don’t be afraid of being called a ‘do-gooder’ or a ‘suck-up’. Go out there and get busy doing as much good as you can.

Prove the accuser wrong…you’re doing good because people need to have good done to them.

Dissolve the accuser’s accusations by doing good– even to them!