It's a strange feature of the way the mind works so that some images or comments stick and return to haunt us while others pass and are instantly forgotten. I recall once inadvertently seeing a sequence in the film Highlander - a sequence I'm not even going to detail here because I don't want to give it further mileage - which recurred like a nightmare for years. (I should add that I saw it without wanting to as the film was being watched on video in a classroom at the end of term when I happened to be looking for a book in the room. I simply looked up at the wrong moment).
And then of course other people think you're crazy for being affected. But maybe it's a warning against the chance stupid comment, the gratuitous insult, the sharing of information which is better kept unshared. For we never, ever know where it is going to resurface, and we have no idea of the lasting power of our thoughtless words to spoil and destroy.
My most vivid and mortifying memories are of “just the wrong thing” remarks I have uttered, especially in my youth, that were unintentionally cruel and hurtful. I imagine that those who heard my comments have long forgotten them, but they still occasionally pop up at three in the morning to breed guilt and remorse over my knack for thoughtlessness.
ReplyDeleteThe Amish have a little saying to live by..."God gave us TWO ears and only ONE mouth." haha! So true, isn't it? And for a more scathing Biblical account, one needs only read the book of James to feel totally crushed by misuse of our mouths!!!!
ReplyDeleteI once went to look up something I read on Snopes and for nights and days afterward, found myself feeling quite sickened by an image shown there.
Yes, we certainly must choose our words wisely. But also playing into the equation is "be careful little ears what you hear, be careful little feet where you go, and be careful little hands what you do"!
Oh, I also wanted to say...have you heard about the wild snowstorm in the US? THAT one is making headlines, as the south has not the equipment to handle such events! In thinking about it, the specs for building are also not up to snuff for snowloads!!! Egads! And to think WE missed the storm ENTIRELY! Argh! Living only wo miles from a ski area, well....what an INSULT!!!!!! And yes, I gre up in the snowbelt and I LOVE the stuff!!!!!!!
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