The Power of a Word

So many people today will say things without really thinking about their meaning. They'll say, "how are you?" without really caring how a person is doing, or "what's up" without actually wanting a response. Likewise, someone will yell swear words in a church without thinking about how blasphemous it is. They will take God's name in vain like it's the most normal thing in the world. The power of words has been lost. Perhaps not forever, but it's very sadly absent.

Think about how most of your conversations go, for example, and think of how they affect your life. Whenever I speak with a certain group of my friends, it's always about something negative, or gossip, or how bad life is for them. Another group of friends only talks about themselves. They'll sit together for hours and just tell stories about their lives, things that have happened to them, or why they're better than me. Some of my friends only talk about video games, comic books, movies, or TV shows. They'll criticize some movies, praise others, and generally affect my view of those particular pieces of media.
These conversations not only affect my view of those people and how I interact with them, but also how I respond to life. If I spent most of my time around those people who love to gossip and talk about depressing things, I would most likely become a girl who enjoys to gossip and brings others down through her words. If I hung around the people who always talk about themselves, I would probably become more self-absorbed and constantly try to prove myself to others. The words that are spoken and the way they're said can affect my life and who I am.

The words I say, as well, can affect how other people view me. Imagine for a moment that you meet someone for the first time. They introduce themselves calmly and casually. You respond with, "Hey! I'm Lola, totally &*%$ and I hate %$@&. " They would probably perceive you as a bad influence on their children and keep you at arms length. You would probably think they were a cool person, and regret having made such a horrible impression.
But it's not just introductions that can affect how people view you. I've known one man for a long time. I respect him and think he's an awesome business man and leader. However, just the other day I heard him cussing and belittling people I know really well, and my opinion of him dropped by several points. That's not to say he's any less of an awesome person, it's just how I view him that has changed.

Facebook and other social networks give us many more opportunities to forget the meaning of words. It's so easy to post something on facebook and ignore the consequences because you don't actually have to say anything to someone face to face. You could post something horrible on another person's wall, de-friend them, and never have to talk to them again. It's so easy to forget that there are consequences to what we say and write. Even chatting with people has to be thought of a little less casually, because it is so easy to misinterpret a message or a text.

I'd like to end by saying, I'm not trying to preach to you. I'm not trying to tell you what to do and not to. I'm just writing down what I've had to learn the hard way. There was one time when I was younger, I wanted to stay at a friend's house overnight instead of going to a church picnic with my family. I don't remember exactly what I said to my dad, all I know is that it got me grounded for the rest of the weekend, and I didn't get to go to the picnic or my friend's house. When my dad came to talk to me about it, he said, "It's not what you do or say that matters, it's how people perceive it."  And so, I always have to take a step back and think, "how is the person reading/hearing this going to understand it?" And sometimes they still misinterpret, but I try to be as clear and concise as possible... (Looks at everything she's written) ... Most of the time...