Member-only story
Mind Your Words
by Michelle Montoro
We as human beings have many ways of communicating with each other…words, body language, facial expressions, actions, the way we dress, the way we walk, our overall presentation of ourselves to the world.
So you see, there are many underlying reasons why I do the things I do.
Getting dressed to feel good and present a positive image of myself to the world is important to me. It communicates that I have pride in myself, that I take care of myself so I can take care of the people in my life that need me. It communicates that I make an effort to participate in my life everyday and to actively contribute to the world.
But aside from our physical presentation to the world, it is our words, whether written or spoken, that often are the most powerful of our communication methods.
Words can cause as much harm and pain as any aggressive or violent action. They can cause as much confusion in interpretation as any puzzling facial expression or complicated body language. They can degrade, insult, berate, and break a person down. I know this because I have broken people with my words and I have been destroyed by the words of others. I understand the power that is held within the confines of our human language.
