How Harmless Words Might Ruin an Entire Lifetime

It is a common habit amongst all of us to point fingers at people who are considered different or those who do not tick the tables of conventionality as we are used to or as we perceive to be right. 

It is a normal human reaction to draw down rules that we believe should govern everyone and their behaviors. The moment anyone strays from them, we consider them weird and strange.

At times we might fail to remember that a single word said to someone at the wrong time and with little consideration is enough to permanently break them and turn their lives inside out.

It is inevitable that society to a huge extent determines what people turn out to be. Sadly many people will end up carrying some form of resentment because of the words uttered to them by their colleagues, friends, schoolmates, and sadly, their families.

It is without a doubt that some of us are here because of the tears we shed. Some of us are still struggling with broken parts that we will never fit together because the edges were twisted and what remains are brittle foundations of a life that we could have lived and things that we could have become.

It is hard to piece together moments that we were forced to repress and tears that we were forced to swallow and revenge that we could not exact because we were weak or confounded by what was thrown our way.

A part of growing up is knowing how and when to rein your tongue, what to say and what not to say. Words will at times cut deeper than a machete and sting harsher than a wasp.

For some people, the fear they harbor in their hearts, the reservations, the insecurities and the sense of mistrust they feel towards other people today can be directly traced to an individual’s decision to say something that affects them many years later.

The songs we sing to mock students who we deem stupid or awkward will to some extent contribute to the lives of these people consciously or unconsciously. 

It is okay, I guess, to have prejudices because that is the human in us. But that’s where restraint comes in. Not everything you feel should be manifested in words and actions. If indeed your words are going to help no one or even change the situation, why let them out in the first place?

It is inevitable that you will detest someone in the day to day living, sometimes because they did something to you that you do not wish to forget, and at times because hate is easier to choose in the place of love and understanding. No one will take that right away from you.

But if indeed you have to judge, then be kind enough to hear both sides of the story. Be kind enough to understand the unspoken words and deeds and the motivation behind people being who they are. Otherwise, your uninformed reservations towards someone will end up creating a ripple effect that might echo for generations to come.

The question that should never leave our minds is if we met some of the people who fell victim to our assumptions, what would be running through their minds concerning us? How much damage did we do them by saying words that we could easily have steered clear of?