Words, so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how
potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to
combine them. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
The
old adage to ‘never put anything in writing you wouldn’t want read by …
your mother, your spouse, your boss,
your children, your clients, your teacher,
your employees, or blasted across the front page has
never rung more true. The written word - whether penned with a feather or
typed on a tiny tablet - can come back to haunt you. It is a permanent record
of what you thought, felt and believed at a given point and time. Words can be
tracked, traced, manipulated, punishing and unforgiving. Particularly, in
today's world where nothing escapes scrutiny and everyone is equally responsible.
Even those at the tip-top cannot be fully protected. We've witnessed this time
and again. For a recent example, just ask one of the top tier executives
at Sony. Of course, the scrutiny is not limited to the entertainment industry,
it is epidemic worldwide. The horrific attack on the satirist magazine, Charlie
Hebdo, has given everyone
pause to perhaps rethink what is printed. While the freedom of speech, which
gives us the right to print our opinions and ideas and is protected by the First Amendment must always persist, each
incidence against it reminds us that there is no more powerful communication.
Its influence reaches far and wide and its message runs deep and eternal.
Step
3/Week 2: Communication: Never Put Anything in Writing...For the
next seven days, aspire to be more mindful of what you write. Double
check your emails before sending. Re-read the content and make sure you aren’t
offending anyone. Question whether you should hit ‘reply all’ or simply ‘reply’
to the recipient and remember to refrain from using all CAPS. Use this
week to triple check your texts. Better yet, try limiting these communications
to mentions of running late or checking in. Texts are not designed for profound
communications or professes of love or hate, and certainly not for
altercations. Monitor what you say on social media. As boring as it sounds,
better to save your witticisms for something nice than something nasty that
will only bring turmoil and judgment. Bloggers and writers, notice if you are
writing with the sole purpose to receive a reaction or writing with a bigger mission
to uplift and inspire. Use this week as an experiment in written self-censorship rather than regurgitating every minuscule thought and feeling that comes to mind. Share with us what you observe in yourself and in
others. Join us now! Make the vow to #daretobepolite!
Our
global and technologically-connected world has given everyone a voice with no
limits. One does not have to work for a high profile entertainment company or French
satirical magazine to be heard. Our words may be written on a multitude of
platforms that have the ability to reach anyone instantaneously. No longer do
we have to go through a chain of command to have them published. Anyone with determination
can distribute their innermost thoughts and beliefs with one press of a button and
have them available on a massive scale.
This makes this period and time in history both exhilarating and scary
as hell.
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