Words Are Never Just Words

Words are containers of power. They can build up a person or tear him down, and thereby move him along the right or wrong path. They can galvanise people into constructive or destructive action, and consequently shape the course of history. One only needs to recall JFK's speech where he exhorted the American people to ask not what their country can do for them, but what they can do for their country and Hitler's speech about Lebensraum (living space) for Germans which precipitated WWII and caused the death of millions. The right words spoken at the right time can escalate or defuse a situation, and skew the course of events at the personal, national or international level.

On a personal level, the words we speak come from our hearts and define our existence. For a pessimistic person who expects things to turn out badly, he's likely to spout gloom and doom, and this is how his life will unfold. For an optimist who looks forward to favourable outcomes, he's likely to look at the brighter side of things and his life will be enjoyable and promising. Between the 2, most people would prefer the company of optimists as they're more fun and less destructive. Such people are also gregarious and enjoy other peoples' company, as opposed to pessimists who just want others to commiserate with them. Of course, this doesn't mean that we should avoid negative people, especially if they're our friends.

I've learned that the right attitude, and that includes having an optimistic outlook, is key in life. If you've a bad attitude, no one's gonna like you very much and its unlikely you'll find success in anything you do. If you've a right attitude, the words that you say will be encouraging and uplifting, and they can define your existence and that of another person in a good way.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Good Friends

Like most people, I've had my share of good friends from school and from work. When I was younger, they tended to be more guys than gals. In fact, my best friends in secondary school were 2 guys; one was my fellow classmate Chee Peng while the other was his friend in another class. We spent a fair bit of time, including getting our monthly hair cut, together. After secondary school, we parted ways and headed off to different paths. The guy from the other class attended the same JC as I and we touched base intermittently, but I lost touch with Chee Peng . The fact that he was the bridge between the other guy and I meant that we also didn't talk much thereafter. I saw him once in a while in uni but nothing more than the obligatory "hi" transpired between us. In JC , my good guy friends were Adrian and David. Adrian was your typical ACS boy and we all know what mischief these boys can get up to. Of course, they are also charming and suave, as Cheryl my friend from w
Read more

Another First

This is turning out to be a year of many firsts. In Jan, I started a blog after toying with the idea for years. Then, I bought a digital SLR, again after many years of thinking about it. Now, I'll be trying my hands at baking. Come this Friday, I'll be making tiramisu , among other delectable desserts. It's one of the many welfare events that my company organises and I was inspired to go for it after seeing the email. I also promptly roped in my colleagues, who may have obliged because I also happened to be their boss. But I'd like to think they also look forward to learning how to bake too, and perhaps not to the same extent, spending some quality time with me - ha ha . I must say I'm looking forward to learning how to bake. I've always been amazed by how chefs can whip up the most dazzling and delicious dessert. I'm sure its both an art and a science. An art because it takes an artiste to create new recipes and present their creations in a way that is both
Read more

Being A Dad in My Fifties

After many years of trying, both naturally or through artificial means, we finally welcomed our boy in January 2023.  It had been a tough journey, spanning more than a decade, both physically for my wife and emotionally for both of us.  We almost became parents in 2017 and 2020 but it was not to be then.  The anguish of our loss still lingers within our hearts and looms over us whenever we think of them.        While we were elated with joy when we found out that my wife was pregnant last May, there were trepidations because we have had 2 unsuccessful pregnancies previously.  However, with much prayers and perseverence, we managed to have a somewhat uneventful pregnancy.  Perhaps "uneventful" is an overstatement as we did have a scare in the first trimester that had caused much consternation and concern.  But by God's grace, the baby developed well and each visit to the gynaecologist watered our hope.    Our boy made his entrance into the world via a planned caesarean sec
Read more