Some say words are meaningless. I disagree. Words have the power to cut someone to the core, or calm their fears. A vocal species... of course words matter.
It is learning to disregard the words of those you hold little respect or value for, and treasuring or following the words of those you admire and love that is key. Often I wonder if the written word has not become more powerful as social media sites like TWITTER and smart phone texting/BBM'ing become more prominent in daily life. It is a carefully crafted 140 character string of words that drives that engine. Words that live on in the diaphanous nether world of the internet long after they have been uttered. The old adage of my mother "think before you speak" certainly applies. Tweaked to think before you tweet (or post, or send....) it is even more applicable. Our words are tapped into phones, sent, and while not spoken they are communicated and out there. Unable to be retracted. Completely traceable and usable should the need arise. Heresay has a different texture as it isnt so much a gray area anymore with the digital age. You could just re-tweet, re-post, or link to the comment eliminating the gray area of "she said to Johnny who said to Jess who said to....". Crazy world.
I love words, big and small. For me, email and texting/BBM is more attractive than a phone call. It can have more clarity in that you must tap those words out on to a screen, review, then send.... yes, we lack intonation and expression but somehow, many of us have survived. The concise nature of texting appeals to me, amazing as I am a blabberer-talker type person, largely because it forces me to sort and condense. Plus, it makes me pause and not be overly emotional or forces me to ask for clarification. When I receive that text from someone special, it is lovely. Almost like a letter of days gone by. Shorter for sure, but no less sweet to open and anticipate the message. Perhaps it is the brevity that makes it sweeter.
I am sure people have expressed their love, or perhaps their hate via text messages and emails. Some may think it cold and calculating. I don't agree. The only unfortunate thing perhaps is you can't just save it away in a box to re-read years later. Our words can be so strong. Your words have been so provoking. Just like a face to face conversation, you don't know what the person ponders long after the talk has ended. The difference in our digital form is that we can re-visit that moment of conversation. Ponder it, taste it again and wonder.
