Lower
the Rhetoric
“There
are a lot of people who are doing wonderful things, quietly, with no
motive of greed, or hostility toward other people, or delusions of
superiority.”
Charles
Kuralt
Sigmund Freud once
commented that the hostility of one person toward another is a
perpetual menace for society. It's almost impossible to say or do
anything these days without someone getting their back up about it.
We forget, I think, that the vast majority of folks, regardless of
race, gender, nationality, or orientation, are simply going about
their lives, doing the things they need to do to provide for
themselves and their families. They harbor no malice toward anyone.
It seems that we focus on those who gain attention by being hostile
and outspoken simply because of their volume.
Most people, by middle
age, have lived through hardships sufficient to take the wind out of
their sails, and help them to realize that all people share a
common history—all have experienced sorrow and suffering—including
those one deems “enemy.” There is a near-level playing field in
this area. Chinua Achebe of Nigeria said it well when speaking about
people in that country who've been neighbors forever, yet find
themselves at odds with one another: “So it's a matter of settling
down, lowering the rhetoric; the level of hostility in the rhetoric
is too high.” Lowering the rhetoric is one way to calm the waters.
Because we are creatures
who rely heavily on words to make meaning, we feel we need to speak
often, to explain our views, to win others over. But if our words are
contributing to the hateful climate that is dangerous, and damaging
to the very fabric that holds our lives together, perhaps we should
use fewer of them. Perhaps we could let our actions speak for us. If
we want to achieve peace, we must be the ones who bring it to our
words, to our deeds, to our thoughts. Let's agree to speak kindly
today.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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