Words, words, words...

Actions speak louder than words. It is common to place importance on action over speech. We all speak to it on occasion. We admire people who's actions reflect the spirit of the words they speak. We want our people, especially our leaders with any power or authority to walk the talk. We also know that due to human nature it easier to say the right thing than to do the right thing. From the simplest commitment, "I'll call you." to the biggest, "I'll never leave you." saying the words are just the very beginning. Even with the commitments we make to ourselves, the words flow like water from the faucet but the work often requires the digging of a well.

The right words sell products. Politicians use the words we want to hear to sell themselves. In the last several decades, generally and right now in the months before an election specifically, words reign over action.

 

Attempts are constantly being made to convince us or manipulate us with words. 

Even the very meanings of words are being manipulated, often in a covert way. There is a new (or maybe not so new, perhaps I've been unaware) media marketing genre, if you will, the intentional misuse of words. Words that are generally assumed to mean one thing actually being used with an different meaning entirely, as a calculated means to get agreement or to confuse listeners. In many cases this has gone to the extreme, up means down and down means up. Truth is obscured, we are lied to. If we hear them enough, lies become the truth. We are expected to live by the lies whether they are our own or the tall tales of others spoken loudly and publicly.

This works to enlist others into something (a product, a service, an idea), they think they understand, but truly know nothing about. And who of us isn't hesitant to admit not knowing the meaning of a simple word or an often used phrase for fear of outing our own ignorance. If we discover the discrepancy, we are likely too far in to admit our own gullibility, misunderstanding or stupidity.

I think we have all likely noticed the tendency these days in media, in politics, sadly even in the pulpits, for people to cover facts, especially personal facts, regarding the lack of meaningful actions. Maybe even in ourselves, to please people, to win favor, to get elected. The route to giving the appearance of walking the talk these days is as likely to be to change the words and their meanings over demanding more of ourselves in our understandings, in our communications or in our actual behavior. 

Actions may speak louder than words but how we use and understand words influences our thoughts and behaviors. 

So use and listen to words wisely. Improve your own vocabulary and commit with me to asking others (in spite of feeling dumb) to clarify what definitions are being used, to clarify that we are using mutually agree upon terms so that we can truly and honestly communicate, so that our conversations foster understanding and contribute to the most prosperity for the most people by maintaining a free and open market place of ideas respectfully shared.

More to be posted soon - on improving our vocabulary so that we can increase our understanding of the people around us and the topics that interest us. 

Cheerio.