Mindful of our Words

There is power behind our words.  Most of the time we are unaware of this power.  Things come out of our mouths, and we repeatedly don’t think about what we say.  The word logos is a Greek word traditionally meaning “word” or “thought.”  Logos is especially relevant in the Gospel of John, where Jesus himself is represented as logos or “Word.”  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1).  Christians identify the Bible as “The Word of God.”  In Genesis, God created the world from His “Word.”  It was through logos that the world was created, and it is through logos that we create our reality. 

What kind of reality are we creating?  Are we creating a reality of endless joy and possibility, or are we stuck in a limiting world?  I often hear people say “I can’t do that,” or “I’m horrible at that.”  The word “can’t” is limiting.  Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you say you can or you can’t, you’re right.”  If only we taught our children this truth!  If only we understood this truth ourselves.  When you say you “can’t” do something, you’re cutting off the possibility of doing it.  I hear it often with my students, and I find myself telling them over and over again to rephrase their words. 

“Can’t” isn’t the only limiting word.  “Should,” “try,” and “hate” are others.  I have had a difficult time myself eliminating “try” out of my vocabulary.  “Try” implies the likelihood of future failure.  Very rarely will you hear professional athletes or businesspeople use the word “try” when competing.  Another powerful combination of limiting words are the words “good” and “bad.”  Growing up in a Christian tradition, these words flooded my reality.  I judged everything based on “good” and “bad.”  I was ego-dominant.  If you use limiting words, you will be limited.  “Good” and “bad” are words of judgment, words produced by our egos.  Our egos seek to do three things:  judge, control, and want to feel accepted.  They are the cause of suffering, the most limiting in the realm of spirituality.  They are the pathway to Pride, the leading vice of the fall.  So one begins to put together clues.  Judgment itself is neither good nor bad.   It’s necessary practically.  Nevertheless, you can still live practically without using the words “good” or “bad.”  When eliminating those words, we accept the present moment as it is and find a deeper peace within ourselves that we have long searched for.  When we transcend our egoic mind, we open the way to our inner self where all creativity and intuition lie.  All of the greatest feats and accomplishments first come from this inner presence, the place where God dwells. 

Our words have power; our words create our reality.  Tomorrow morning, I encourage you to wake up in the morning, and instead of saying “Good god it’s morning,” say “Good morning God!”