One would have to be living under a rock this week not to have heard foul words used by a candidate running for president of the United States in an interview in 2005. Whether one likes the candidate or not, and whether one was going to vote for him or not, the fact that he used such language has become a huge campaign issue. Undoubtedly, the results of the election will be affected somewhat by his poor choice of words. Some undecideds will now have made up their mind on the basis of those tapes. Some lukewarm supporters, as has been demonstrated already, will say enough is enough and change their voting preferences. Will it be enough to turn the election one way or the other- we will see come November 9th.
I don't like people who use language which denigrates someone else. Whether it is by race, creed, economic class, nationality, gender, what have you- I have come to learn in my 53 years on earth that words which slander are powerful weapons. How many dreams have been quashed, how many miracles have gone undiscovered, because some people have told other people that they are not good enough, not worthy enough, and not valuable enough to count. People who bully and intimidate prevent many people from living up to their potential. And because of that, the whole world suffers.
In saying this though, I realise that I have to be ever diligent in my use of words so as not to harm others. I have a vocation where I get to preach messages each week in front of people. My role as preacher is to share faith, to interpret, to get people to think, to challenge and to encourage. Sometimes I manage this, other times I don't. However, my role as preacher is never to harm others, never belittle, and to never bully. Hopefully, each person feels respected when they hear my messages whether they agree with me or not.
The same is true with my blog and my on line presence. I share my thoughts in order to encourage, to challenge, to provoke, and to hopefully bring some understanding to a chaotic world. On Facebook, I try to put up posts that describe who I am: a minister, a man, someone with a sense of humour, someone who is concerned with justice. I don't post foul language, because really I don't use that much foul language in my day to day life. I try to respect others because I have come to know that we get a lot more done when we treat each other fairly well rather than when we point fingers and say he did she did. I try to look for beauty in the world because when the days get cold and others seem cruel, its those bright sparks which will lead me out of darkness. I try to be respectful in my on line conversations and in posting responses because I know such things live forever and once said, you cannot put it back in the box.
Human beings have been given a wonderful gift- the gift of being able to communicate with each other. But I think that politicians, teachers, preachers, parents, siblings, co-workers, and friends need to know is that the gift of communication is a powerful one. Communication and what's said has the power to change the outcome of everything. Our words also live on much longer than we do. So speak well to one another and let us change the future of our world. Blessings.
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