WORDS OR SWORDS

All it takes is the S …. Sarcasm and absence of sensitivity to turn mere words into swords that can pierce into the heart. We have all faced these situations sometime or the other in our lives and if we reflect upon them, we would always wonder, were they needed? Couldn’t they have been avoided? Dipped with the lethal poison of sarcasm, not anyone I know has come out unscathed, there is always an indelible mark that remains. Then why does it happen?

We talk without thinking, shout without restraint, accuse without understanding, provoke without reason and reprimand without guilt. Does that a wise man make? If we consider ourselves educated, intelligent and responsible, shouldn’t we just pause the “S”. There is no excuse to wipe out years of friendship, the bond of relationships, the intricate weave of love. Yet it happens and rarely do the wounds of such arrows heal. They leave the relationship disfigured, fragmented, and sometimes even completely broken.

Choose what leaves your mouth wisely. It may very often determine a defining moment in another’s life. What we may casually throw around may change the mental perspective of the receptor. “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Leo Buscaglia also known as Dr.Love said this when a student committed suicide in the University of Southern California where he was teaching. Yes, sometimes we don’t realise the power of words.

So let us begin today by ensuring that when we speak we should be careful and sensitive enough not to hurt another’s feelings. Let us talk to explain,shout only in enthusiasm, accuse only in court, provoke not the person but the truth and reprimand only a criminal. Lets use words not swords.

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