I was reading an article on Facebook about the unusual snow storm in the Pacific Northwest and the effect it was having on the people who live there. For those of us who live in the snow belt, a foot of snow is business as usual but, for those folks, it is a hardship. They rarely get measurable snow and were totally unprepared for its effects. There are numerous homeless living in tents year round, they have no snow plows, salt trucks or snow blowers and most do not have warm outdoor clothing. As I began to read the comments left by others, I was taken aback by the lack of empathy for other people’s pain and suffering. Too many were participating in the new internet sport – bulling others. The name calling, belittling and rudeness was difficult to read.
As I sat and thought about this phenomenon, I wondered if people have really become this mean and cruel or if it’s just easy to let loose behind the anonymity of a computer keyboard. Would these people have said the same things if they were face to face with their victims? When we speak by voice or the written word, our message impacts someone’s life. My grandma always told me, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” It seems we have lost this simple truth in today’s heartless world.
Cyber-bulling has harmed so many young people causing many to take their own life out of pain and desperation. People who look different, worship different or love different have become prime targets in this climate of hate. It has become the new normal in this country.
What do your words say about you? Are you lifting others up or tearing them down? Do your words make someone feel inferior or put them on the defensive? Are you spreading lies and gossip?
Proverbs 11:12 “It is foolish to belittle a neighbor; a person with good sense remains silent.”
Proverbs 11:17 “your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel.”
Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger.”
Proverbs 25:18 “Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword or shooting them with a sharp arrow.”
I always told my children when they were growing up to think before they spoke. That is advice we all need to follow. As grandma said, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
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