Language Kills
How Weaponization of Words Leads to Violence
This is not a political post.
This is not a religious post.
This is a post about language.
I struggled whether I should post about this at all. The struggle wasn’t long, though. Because walking into conflict to use language responsibly is one of my superpowers. It is why I do what I do. And I cannot be silent.
It’s impossible to be alive on the planet right now, and not have acute awareness to what is happening in the Middle East.
As an American Jew, I have lots of feelings about it. No, scratch that. As a *human being* I am gutted, for all the reasons. Pain. So much pain.
Mostly what struck first was feeling helpless. I don’t like that feeling. Not one bit. Not sure anyone does.
So what do I do? Do I saturate myself in all the anger and hate? Do I watch endless reports of the atrocities?
No. I get informed and then I do what I do best. I look at language — how it’s used and how I can shift so that maybe, just maybe, the world can too.
Those in political power will do what they do. That’s out of our control. What we, the people, can do is manage our own reactions.
It’s oh-so-easy to react in anger and fear. It’s oh-so-easy to point fingers, to blame how a thing could happen and who’s at fault. What if we all decided to be responsible — responsible in our words, deeds and the actions that result?
Let me be clear — perpetration of crime, any crime, gets to be addressed directly, resolutely. No matter who the perpetrator of the crime may be.
That’s not my job nor will I take on discussing who’s to blame and how punishment is to be delivered. I’m talking about the language we use that creates the conditions that lead to these things happening in the first place.
AND while I may not be the one to mete out justice, I am responsible for the conditions I create in the world immediately around me. The way I behave, the language I use, how I do (or don’t) manage my own feelings and emotions. No one is blameless. No person, no nation, no leader. We are all responsible. Excessive hate in a place gets fueled by focus on the hate.
I saw a powerful video last night that encapsulates beautifully how monstrosities happen in the “name” of one thing but are decidedly not.
When language gets weaponized, it’s not long before that aggression manifests physically.
The video landed something for me. The message Matthew Cooke hit so powerfully for me is that if we can first remember our humanity and then be true to that AND to our word — the answer is peace.
Let there be peace on earth … and let it begin … with me.
