Greetings everyone. I am back with another thought provoking topic that I hope will not only cause you to think, but to think seriously on the subject matter. First, allow me to apologize to those of you who like what I write and look forward to my blog articles. I was bombarded with a series of health issues, but due to sufficient rest and a few other modifications, I am feeling much better and doing much better.
As you see, the above link is a snippet from the classic 1985 film The Color Purple. The scene in question is what I thought was a significant piece to make my point. In this particular scene, I believe it is Thanksgiving, and Oprah's character 'Sophia' has just been released from an eight year prison term. This same scene also reveals to us the confrontation of fear and the brutal subjugation suffered by Whoopi Goldberg's character, 'Ceilie' at the hands of her husband, 'Albert' - aka 'Mister', played by Danny Glover. Ceilie has been under the iron fist of marital tyranny since she was given to Mister by her stepfather at the tender age of 14. She has been abused in every way, shape, and form that one can imagine. One of those forms is what I'm addressing in this article, and that is the form of verbal abuse, hence the title -- The Power of Words.
Listen to my radio broadcast -- The Power of Words https://bit.ly/2Od4IHT
For years, and I'm guessing it had been twenty-two, Ceilie had been sexually abused, physically abused, and neglected and deprived [which are forms of abuse] of the treatment of basic decency and the fundamentals of humanity. They simply aren't listed among what is considered the 'normal' terms and descriptions of abuse. Anyway, what Ceilie could've amounted to had she been given asylum in an atmosphere where it was conducive for her to thrive in, is left totally to the imagination because she was robbed of those crucial years where personal growth and development are so vitally important. No, instead she was treated horribly and mistreated with a nonchalant contempt. And I believe that was because she wasn't who Mister wanted -- her younger sister 'Nettie', played by Ghanian Princess Akusia Busia. But that wasn't the totality of the reason for his abuse toward her; no, the overall reason for his abuse toward her is because she wasn't who he really wanted to be with, and that was 'Shug Avery', played by the beautiful Margaret Avery.
How many of you have been mistreated by someone because you weren't who they really wanted to be with, or you didn't fit the standard of beauty they desired so they settled for who/what they didn't want and dogged you like a plantation peon? It happens. The Power of Words comes into play when Mister can't find it in himself to be nice to this young girl who has already been sexually ravished by her perverted pedophile of a stepfather. Now here she is having been pushed out of the frying pan into the unrelenting, unforgiving, malevolent flames of a fire that burns hotter with each passing year. The abuse she suffered was beyond bad; bad is a gross understatement. The abuse in question that is germane to this article is the verbal abuse that she suffered, as have many of us as well. Sometimes we overlook how destructive our words can be when we are reckless with our mouths. The years of verbal abuse that Ceilie suffered from the lips of Mister beat her down so low that she thought absolutely nothing of herself. There were no signs of self-esteem whatsoever!
Why is that? I contend and maintain that Mister was a miserable cretin who needed a verbal and physical punching bag to take out his failures on to make himself feel better. Unfortunately, Ceilie was on the receiving end of every vile action and every foul insult that Mister could muster up from the hog slop emanating from his bowel that wore the mask of a soul, and the chicken gizzard that was moonlighting as a heart. His words were so putrid and devastatingly powerful that Ceilie hid from herself, despising her own reflection in the mirror. This behavior lasted until there was an intervention from the most unlikely of people, the woman her husband was in love with. The woman who was the reason why he beat her for not being her. It wasn't until someone cared enough to recognize her dilemma and thought it necessary to breathe words of life back into this soul whose life for so many years had been blighted out due to emotional abandonment. So many years of stormy weather. So many years of being made to feel like no one loved her, and so many years of darkness that the sun shining on her face was far and few between, making it foreign to her. Now, finally, someone was using the power of their words to resuscitate and free her from the psychological hostage situation she was in that was more like a death sentence where she was just waiting to be buried without having ever experienced a life worth living.
The power of our words has the ability to act as a skilled carpenter, building someone up to make them feel like a billion bucks; or to act as a wrecking ball, tearing them down so that they feel like there is no rhyme, reason, or value to their lives. I don't care who you are, how much money you have, how big your house is, who you're connected to, or how successful you have come to be. You'd better not ever forget that you are no better than anybody else! Don't forget to remember that you weren't always where you are or who you are at this very moment. I don't care how much you've been hurt; that is no excuse to abuse someone else because your wounds are either still fresh or old and still haven't healed. And if that is the case, then take your ass somewhere and get some counseling! The power of our words have the ability to start wars, and to end them; particularly in the hearts and minds of a people or person who may already be struggling in a battle of mental and/or emotional warfare. The last thing they need is someone who hasn't exorcised their demons projecting their mean and cantankerous attitude onto others. Get your shit together, internally! Especially for those of you who are in positions of teaching and educating. You cannot, I repeat, you cannot teach anyone anything if you do not have patience.
And you cannot educate anyone on any given subject if you have forgotten to remember that you had a first day, too. You had a first day, a first week, and a first month when someone had to be patient with your entry level ass as they showed you the ropes. And they couldn't teach you anything if they used the power of their instructive words to belittle you and/or tear you down for not knowing what they know! That is the sign of a person who has either forgotten where they came from, who has allowed their ascension to inflate their ego, who has amnesia with regards to what it was like when it was them trying to learn as they moved forward in the lane of their endeavors -- or all of the above. Be mindful of your words; because as sure as I'm writing this blog, that shit will come back to claim it's marker. Don't get caught with your humility down around your ankles and your relatability rusty from lack of use. For you can be as right as the day is long and your information spot on and verifiable, but if the people sense that you're coming across in a manner that is foreign to them due to your loss of the ability to relate to them and their plight, they will reject you and your wisdom. So be careful, the power of your words can not only build up or tear down the next person; they also have the power to make or break you, too. Think about it.
The Power of Words https://bit.ly/2Od4IHT -- on my broadcast called Global Mind Radio.
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