“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”
Winston Churchill
“For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.”
I Peter 3:10
Words: The Problem and the Answer
It is becoming more prevalent every day that we have become a society where lines are blurred and boundaries are crossed in relationships, the court systems, religion, politics, cultures, and everything in between. What used to be right to some is now wrong and vice-versa. Because of strong emotions, we can’t even come to a necessary conclusion of what is legal or illegal. The lines of morality are clouded by emotions, regardless of the law. It seems that words have lost their meaning in a society where, thanks to social media, they are used more than ever; nevertheless, words have not lost their ability to create and affect the formation of our lives.
The Decisions We Make
Words are affecting us whether we realize it or not. They affect us subconsciously more than consciously. It has been proven that your subconscious is always in recording mode picking up everything you hear when you aren’t paying attention. Your subconscious mind is even recording conversations while you sleep. Your subconscious makes 94%-96% of your actions and decisions. The other 4%-6% is you making a conscious decision. Science has proven it takes a person 30 seconds on average to make a conscious decision. What is in our subconscious tends to be automatically done, without thinking. What this means is, the majority of our decision making is done unconsciously by what has been retained through our subconscious, thus the term “habits.”
The issue is, words have a profound effect on us without us knowing it. Let’s break this down in our everyday lives. The current political and media climate is filled with known lies and deception no matter who you voted for or which network you listen to for your source of “news’. When a politician or a media outlet lies, there seems to be no accountability. The problem is, the lie has already penetrated the mind and entered the mental state of the listeners. When the truth finally comes out, it is hard to believe the truth because the damage as already been done. The words of the lie took root and sprouted into a tree bearing fruit of distrust and more lies. The roots of the tree of lies are so strong that not even the most potent weed killer of truth can kill the tree that is shading our eyes from the real truth in front of us.
The Weapons That Are Unstoppable
Gossip and lies are the most powerful weapons that destroy relationships, businesses, dreams, hopes, and even nations. The propaganda of lies and gossip has destroyed nations and been an effective weapon. The government itself, however, is built by people. A nation can be destroyed from within (from the very people who make up the nation.) How does this happen? Lies, and gossip. What are lies and gossip? Words, . . . words used wrongly.
Propaganda is used to sway a person to do or believe something subconsciously. We see this in commercials, social media, the news, politics, and in business. Keywords are used making you feel or believe something. These words, if the listener does not have a foundation in some truth, can persuade people to consider a lie. This is what leads to a gradual change in morality and common sense. Things that were unthinkable to do become the norm to do.
The Murder of Truth
Actions are a result of words spoken and believed. Thoughts are words turned into images and pictures. Words create worlds of what we see and believe, think, or feel. But words can also limit us in what we can’t see, believe or feel.
The murder of truth happens when we exchange the truth for a lie. The problem is the outcome of the truth is still the same, because the truth always prevails regardless of the lie(s) a person believes. You can believe a lie that the fire won’t burn you. You can convince yourself that the flame will not harm you, but the moment you stick your hand in the fire, the results of real truth come out. The lie will still be the lie, and the truth will always be the truth.
Guarding an Evil Tongue
There is a term in Judaism called lashon hara. It means “evil tongue.” It is where we use the truth in speech for wrongful purposes. For instance, you may know the truth about someone’s “wrongdoings,” but spreading that truth to others when we have no intention of helping such a person is considered gossip. Just talking about someone doing wrong is in itself wrong when there is no motive or intention of helping that person change. Besides, if you can’t go to that person directly, it’s best to say nothing. The belief is that man’s essence is in what he says, for what he says is how he communicates with the Creator and all of creation. This shows how he is, who he is, and what he is — words of love, hate, truth, or lies. an was created with a craft, and his craft is the skillfulness of his words, and how he communicates (how he uses them.) Our mouths have the ability to bless or curse. Are we speaking words of blessing or words of cursing?
The news media and social media have become a breeding ground for such opportunities of evil speech. Not only that, but lies and slander. Many quote “freedom of speech,” but freedoms have responsibilities. We have the freedom to tell the truth, but using that freedom to gossip, lie, and slander has consequences, longterm consequences. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.” Proverbs 18:21 (Amplified Bible). There are consequences to words that are spoken.
Why are we even telling people the truth? To prove we are right? Or, to help our brother? Matthew 18:15-17 says, “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (KJV)
The most important thing we can do is put a guard over our mouth because out of the mouth flows life or death. It is better to correct by example sometimes. I Timothy 4:12 says, “Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity.” However, when the truth of words becomes hated, and feelings are more important than truth, man’s mind is hardened and his soul is in danger of being lost. “Buy truth, and do not sell it; Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.” Proverbs 23:23 (Amplified Bible).
Charles M. Barnes 