I sometimes find that I sit down to write with the best of ideas and intentions and find at the end I have delved into the realm of sarcasm, judgement and criticism.

I reread my posts and think what a waste, this could have been so much…. well, more and even perhaps helpful.

I think my confusion is that I think a few words, written with the best of intentions can actually make a difference; well as I see it. Now, I believe this is true to an certain extent as to the power of words written and spoken contain so much beauty.  Yet, not all words are beautiful or uttered beautifully and can be the exact opposite; ugly and hateful.  Words are so powerful they can be healers or destroyers.  I believe this without question.

However words, good or bad, without action, are the forgotten utterings of intentions; good or bad.

Yes, words are fun and tragic and historical.  But, ultimately they can be so hollow without action.  Do I think the second world war would have been different if Mein Kampf had not been written, what about the Crusades or the Jihads and their guiding words…. And no matter what, don’t mention the Spanish Inquisition.

Words have been around for millennium from blowing red dye over your hands onto a cave wall to a tweet today.

Words hurt, they love, they hate, they save and most of all they enable our connection to each other.  Words can inspire many emotions and words can also inspire action.

I read a lot of my stuff after I have written it and throw it into the corner… then a few months, years, decade later, I pull it out and have a read and say have a look at this insightful bastard.  Not, only that, but, it is splattered with humour and the occasional generational joke that raises the eyebrows of the under 50’s and gets a knowing nod or laugh from my generation.  But, this piece of paper with all its insight and knowledge was sitting in a cupboard and, well, doing nothing.  It’s value to anyone and especially me were lost.  Word, and actions are partners.

I loved the look on one of my daughters boyfriends face when I told him that the movie ‘I am Legend’ was based on the 1970’s movie ‘The Omega Man’ and surprise, surprise I just happened to have a copy to show him (Unfortunately it was a digital recording and not on Betamax…. All those over 50, que to laugh) …. And….  I think I just wrecked my point here….!!!???

As we started the movie Charton Heston was driving the greatest car in the world – a red circa 70’s Mustang around the deserted streets of the apocalyptic future and wanted to play a bit of music…  so bang! … cut to him putting in an ‘8 track’ !!!   Well that took a bit of explanation to the late 20’s good bloke who I think chuckled with relief that he was not born then – maybe even his folks were kids…. He nodded with disbelief that an 8 track was a tape the size of a video cassette and only held 8 songs.  (and just in closing I won’t even mention what Soylent Green is made of!)

Okay, where was I.  Yeah, words are meaningful and meaningless was in my head.  But, I don’t believe the meaningless part.  Funny how the words sometimes in your head are best just left in your head.

Words are never meaningless.  Often there are ‘throw away lines’ that have more meaning than a Presidential Speech.  They only become meaningless when we don’t believe a word of what we are being told – then they are white noise.  Words can sometimes be beautiful and express the world in ways our five senses or an Instagram photo never can.  A picture may be worth a thousand words but one word can be seen in a never ending collection of pictures: love.  But, words can be our saviours and our demise.

The pen is not mightier than the sword in risk assessed combat training and manuals.  In real life however the words written by the pen, the words said, and Facebooked, and Tweeted, and Instagrammed, have destroyed lives and countries.  No sword can truly fix a word penning in hate or anger.

Sticks and stone, do hurt….  Words also do hurt and they can destroy.

I wrote a blog the other day about ‘being a man of your word’.  This was a complete commitment to use the example of me giving up smoking.  I am on day 10 and saving a lot of money and those cancer sticks will always break my bones… but, I think they will break my heart quicker when I look into the face of my kids through a clear plastic mask when I have just had a brain aneurysm (real example sited her!)   ….. and the absolute joy of all this was I gave one of my kids a little financial help the other day which was less than a couple of packets of cigarettes…  I called them and told them I had saved hundreds so this was their reward for not giving up on me giving up.  Their words had changed my life for the better.  

Sticks and stones, words and rhymes – that’s almost a rap! I love Eminem and think he is the greatest musician for a long time, who beat the odds and is really not recognised for it.  He is the master of words and even has a rhyme for the word orange!  I remember when he became famous as the best rapper in the world and he was white – the best golfer in the world at the time was African-American!.  We never how the world will change and present itself to us.  I believe it is how I interpret it that matters more…. And the words I use in that interpretation.

In my thoughts and words in the past I have interpreted the world wrong when I should have just accepted in.  The word I should have used to describe the world was grateful.

Words.

The greatest influence of war… and peace, in the world.

It is a travesty that we now have a crime;  yes a CRIME, called ‘Hate Speech.’

The thing is since the tragedy in Christchurch NZ I have seen so much hate speech disguised at ‘freedom of speech’.  I had a moment when I saw what happened in Christchurch.  The first words into my head were tragedy, anger and justice.  I took another moment and realised that these were the ‘false words’ of  my mind trained in responses that we all can accept.  This moment caused me to replace all of those words with just two: love and sadness.  They felt like so much better words than anger and justice.  They didn’t just sit in my head but nestled by heart.  Those words helped me accepted what I had seen on the TV and have hope (another great word) for all of us.

I have decided that the word, the words that we use will always be our undoing .  It has been mine and I am now ashamed of abusing the wonder of language and words.

Before you say anything, or get angry… count to 10.  That little saying goes into the same credibility annuals as if you pull a face and the wind changes your face will stay like that and don’t go swimming for an hour after you’ve eaten  – I know the last one is a medical fallacy but, I would be disappointed to die in the river choking on a vomited up cheese burger….

Or are those 10 seconds possibly the most important seconds you can spend.  Ten seconds is a long time to choose your words.  Ten seconds in millions of seconds in our lives.  Ten seconds to not press send as we think of our words and the consequences of our words.  As we think of the motivation of our words and the consequences.  And in ta 10 seconds how that can change.

And there is another thing…

I have read (and hopefully written over the years) wonderful words…..  and I hope they did make a change, even if just for a while.

I have also used words that were like a dagger in the heart…. and the wound of those words is long and slow in healing if ever.

The beauty of ‘the word’ should never be confused with the horror of the intention or the love of the intention.

One of the most beautiful use of words I have ever seen is….

‘I apologise and I am sorry.’

Said or written with heart and soul is the epitome of our language.   I am sure it can be written and said a lot of other ways around the world.  The intention however is the same.  I wrote another blog about that the other day – click bait!!!!    

I used to believe it doesn’t matter what you say it only matters what you do.  This was a truly false god I worshipped.

What I am trying to say in using two fingers to bash this keyboards and mangle the English language is, that words are wonderful. They convey love, joy, respect as well as so many positive emotions.  They also have their evil opposite brothers who convey malice, hurt and hatred.  

The beauty of words is, we get to choose.