Cursed

Daily Meditation #346–2/5/2023

Forgive any grammatical or formatting errors. This is another Daily Meditation published á la phone.

As children, wasn’t it fascinating how powerful words were for us?

We were taught not to say certain words — mostly of the four-lettered variety — as they were “bad" words, or even refered to as “curses.”

And we actually treated them like this — like curses.

For those of us as children who respected the curses, on the occasions we dared utter them — whispered in our rooms in the jet of night — we looked around, over our shoulders to ensure no one heard.

And then, slowly, the veil cast over these words is lifted as we observe many using them without repercussions. TV, parents who think they’re beyond earshot, cashiers, coaches screaming at us.

And the “curses" lose their power, gradually becoming comfortable and colloquial in our daily vocabulary.

But, words do hold immense power. And I’m not “scolding" you about swearing, either — I’m inviting you to be less careless with words of all sorts and to be more surgical, precise, and careful with words.

We cannot control how other people will perceive that which we say, but through this surgical and precise use of our vocabulary, we can better manage these perceptions and prevent misperceptions.

And we should not be afraid to pour out onto other people praises or kind criticism.

We are all starved for an encouraging word and many of those who carry out catastrophes upon their neighbors may have perhaps been saved if only they would’ve heard a smidge of this encouragement.

You don’t need to stop swearing. Or complaining.

But try to be cognizant of the power and force behind your words.