Words With Face

Along with doing this blogging stuff, every day I am bombarded by thousands and thousands of words. There are newscasts, telephone calls, e-mails, music lyrics, conversations, movie and television dialogue, newspapers, books, radio, letters, billboards, and the list goes on. Unless you're alone on a deserted island, you can't escape words. Unless, of course, you're talking to yourself on the island.

Words are how we share our thoughts and feelings. Words shape how we think, how we perceive the world, how others see us, how successful we will be, how peaceful we are, how we relate to others.

Words are strong, but they are also fickle (rhymes with pickle!). Thanks to words, we have been able to rise above the brutes; and thanks to words, we have often sunk to the level of the demons. So said Aldous Huxley.

By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach. That's right, Winston Churchill. Ever think of a time when you wished you'd have kept quiet? Once the words leave our mouth, we can't get them back. A sign in front of a church here in Iowa where I live was even more direct: "Lord, please keep one hand on my shoulder and the other over my mouth."

Dangerous words come in all varieties. Some sound meaningless and harmless, but they aren't. Words I find the most dangerous are: cruel, confusing, dishonest, offensive, foolish, explosive, empty, divisive, insensitive, discouraging, abusive, and arrogant. Through dangerous words, trust is betrayed, friendship is broken, family is divided, churches are split, nations slaughtered, and communities fragmented. So, please beware.

Words can build bridges or break hearts; they can give hope or steal peace; they can be a glorious present or a deadly poison. So let's do as Dan Nelson suggested: "As soon as you see someone doing something good, tell him about it."

We can each bring healing or harm. Kind words are the best currency available to us. The rule of friendship means always using friendly and sincere words. Well spoken, Cicero.

The five most powerful words in the English language are: "Thank you," "Would you, please?" "What do you think?" "I am proud of you." "I love you."

With a little effort you will never run out of good things to say. I've come to the conclusion as Goethe did, "Be generous with kindly words."

There is a tale of a poor boy who was born with a terribly disfigured face. When most people saw him, they whispered and stared. This boy would have been doomed if not for his beautiful words. If people heard his words without seeing his face, they were drawn to his gentle, kind and refreshing words. He soon learned to cover his face and use only positive words. His words brought him great success. By his 30th birthday, he was the wealthiest most respected man in the kingdom. He married and had three beautiful children.

One day his wife, who had never seen his face, begged him to remove his mask. "But if I let you see my face," said he, "you will no longer love me." She insisted this was not true - in fact, his failure to show his face she said was a sign he neither trusted nor loved her. Finally, on a bright spring morning, with trepidation, he removed his mask.

His wife gasped and the husband quickly covered his face. "No!" she said. "Let me look again." Slowly he uncovered his face a second time. His wife sighed, placing a mirror before him. "Do you see?" she said. "Your face is the most handsome I have ever seen." As others in the kingdom saw his face they agreed, and many wondered how an ugly boy became such a handsome man.

Yet the man knew the secret. Beautiful words create a beautiful face. Therefore watch your words. They have great power. Words with face. Interesting thought.