Words go far
So very far
They can make a day
or take a life
Words can be beautiful
But they can also be ugly
The beautiful lie? or
The ugly truth?
Careful on what you say
Careful on what you listen to
Careful
Think about what you are going to say
Words go far
So very far
The can make a day
or take a life
Words are an amazing thing
But yet they can be so terrible
Amazing, motivational quotes
Or terrible repeating insults
Words can be engraved in memory
On a grave stone
On a scarred and bloody wrist
In our minds
Words go far
So very far
They can make a day
Or take a life
Words are so wonderful to use
But at the same time hurt when they hurt us
Gorgeous little sayings
Hateful insults
In the end
Is it worth it to speak your mind?
Is it worth it to hurt someone you love?
Is it worth to push someone over the edge?
Words go far
Words go very far
They can make a day
Or take a life.
4 comments
Words go only as far as the audience takes them.
It’s tragic to see all these people insisting that “words are powerful,” while they have obviously had their words ignored or disregarded, by the very people they needed to listen.
Words are only useful if someone is listening.
Actions are useful even if no one listens.
My words are useless then. No one listens. I scream out. I yell out. But no one listens. No one hears my please.
Writing and speaking are actions and those actions can have meaning when no one else is listening. I wrote for years as a form of catharsis to extract the venom from my veins, and, though no one else was listening, those words likely saved my life.
Interesting angle, jswiss. I’ll grant the validity of your position, since “to help myself” is as good a reason as any, to do anything.
However, i’ve tried the same thing, and the “venom” never really dissipated. In fact, i noticed that the more i wrote about it, the more it hurt, and the more it hurt, the more i thought about it, and the more i thought about it, the more i felt the need to write… but i was the only one listening. The action of formulating thoughts into words that no one else will read, seems irrelevant, or even self-destructive, in my case… so i eliminated most of that, and tried to allow my mind to analyze all the data without actually writing anything, which i will argue is a type of cognitive exercise. I realized that i need better thought control, better mental organization… but that physically putting it into words that no one else will read, was just energy spent on something that was not going to benefit me; at least, not without proper guidance, which i don’t have, and won’t be able to afford.
But i don’t think this (your angle) is what people mean, when they cite “the power of words.” The purpose of words, of language, is communication; the purpose of communication carries a prerequisite of having another person listening. So, if no one is listening, your words will be wasted, along with the both mental and physical energy, and time spent crafting them.
So, the purpose of words is communication; if no one’s listening, why speak? Why write? Why even try to communicate anything, in any way, if “everyone” has already decided not to listen, or is simply incapable of understanding what you would convey? If they disregard, then your time is wasted (other than the value of discovering that people aren’t listening); if they can’t understand, they will misunderstand, and what you convey might be misinterpreted in ways which cause more problems.
There is another result i didn’t mention: sometimes, people are listening, and they do understand… but they lack the means, or perhaps the desire, to enact any useful changes.
If they decide “i listened, i understand, but i don’t want to help you…”
If they decide “i listened, i understand, but i can’t do what would help you…”
Then all the words did was create more problems; in the former, it’s a new barrier between people; in the latter, it’s the seed of a tree of despair.