Words and Communion with Others

Words and Communion with Others

Words can hurt; words can heal. It is our choice to use the words that heal. By doing less is to go against the norms of traditional society. In the United States, and around the world, we are trained to strike back when something we do not like occurs.

How different would life be if we stopped to think how our reaction affects others – and ourselves.

If we ignore the training that our parents, our teachers, and our coaches have instilled in us, if we lower the me-first instinct that has been instilled in our very essence by our mentors, perhaps we can look at others as equals, not as competitors.

These mentors do not mean to harm us; they are doing what society expects of them and of us.

If we do not respect others, we cannot look at them as people, only objectives to be overcome. For years, I try to have the students in my literature and writing classes to form study teams. I coach them in the advantages that study teams give all students. I stress that we cannot learn in a vacuum. We can only truly learn by sharing.

In studying for my doctorate in literature, I learned how to write properly, taking courses in dissertation writing, poetry writing, short story writing, and novel writing. I was very successful in all courses. Saying this, I truly did not understand how to write until I began teaching it to others. By sharing my knowledge, I had to be as expert as possible.

This holds true for team study also; when we share what we learned with others, we become more expert, and when others share what they learned, they become experts.

Only by seeing each other as equals can we truly share our lives and become better teachers, accounts, lawyers, and yes, even politicians. When we respect others for theirs views and needs, we become a better society.

Words in communion with others uplift everyone.