Friday, March 19, 2010

The Power of our Words


When I was pregnant, I didn’t know if I was having a girl or a boy. I carried my baby way way out front, and repeatedly people told me I must be having a boy. The day the baby was born, Rick and I were truly surprised to hear “It’s a girl.” Those around us – friends and strangers, by way of repeated guessing - had truly convinced us we were having a boy. That situation showed me how vulnerable we are to the power of persuasion.

We possess a great deal of power as humans to convince people of reality. We have the power to raise people’s hopes and expectations beyond where they should be. And when their hopes and expectations are not met, the person who has accepted “our truth” falls farther emotionally than they would have if we had said nothing.

How responsible are we for what we say? Should we be held responsible? When does it crossover into lying and manipulation? I hold myself responsible to be true and real. When I become part of a conversation and say things I shouldn’t, I try to approach the person later and correct my error. But often it is so easy to just leave it. Let the other person deal with it.

Should we be holding other’s accountable? Telling them when their words of authority lead me in the wrong direction – a direction that they had a hand in; a situation that they had some control over. I can tell my spouse, my family members, & my friends if they lead me down the wrong path. Can I tell my co-workers and my boss?

Do you? When your co-worker or boss manipulates you or lies to you, do you talk about it with them? In some ways, shouldn’t we be doing that in love? It's on my mind today.