Daily Meditation: Thursday, July 2, 2009

A general gives the order to attack; he shouts ‘Fire!’, and …

07/02/2009

A general gives the order to attack; he shouts ‘Fire!’, and within a few minutes there’s nothing left of what was once a magnificent town. He, himself, did nothing; he only uttered a word, but what power was contained in this word! Or a man or woman who means a lot to you, but whose true feelings you don’t yet know, simply has to say or write, ‘I love you’ one day, and your life is suddenly illuminated. Nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed. The whole of our existence demonstrates the power of words. And let’s go even further. Why do you think people talk most of the time? In order to exercise their power. And even when they seem to be giving explanations or information, explaining or informing is often not the real reason; when they speak or write, they want, above all, to produce certain effects: to make friends or allies, to arouse anger or hatred or else allay suspicion. And what are your own motives for using words? I’ll leave you to think about it…