Words Matter, Actions Matter

By Frank Zaccari

My friend Tina Konkin, wrote: “Words matter. Words have the power to heal and the power to destroy. They’re either poison or fruit the choice is up to you. Choose to heal by using words that build up rather than tear down, that bring unity rather than division.”

Words do matter and for the past few years much of what has been said, printed, published, broadcasted or posted has been negative and divisive (my way and beliefs are right and yours are wrong). Negative words repeated often enough can be burned so deeply into our subconscious that is becomes poison. This poison often leads to negative actions or worse no action. Dr. King once said: “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.” By sitting in silence, the negative words and action become empowered and brazen.

For me and many others I have spoken to, January 6, 2020 is the tipping point. We can no longer tolerant the hateful rhetoric that built to the crescendo of the assault on the Capital. It is time for leadership to rise at every level including me and you. It is time for the hard conversations we try to avoid. It is time to have meaningful dialogue to understand our differences with our friends, family, co-workers and former friends. We don’t have to agree, but we can do without the vitriol. Yes, I know their posts and words makes your blood boil, but we have far more in common that what divides us. At a minimum, we all want to be healthy, to provide for our families, to be gainfully employed, to be safe, to educate our children and grandchildren, to live in a community that supports one another. We cannot wait for elected officials to lead; we have the ability to lead right now by choosing positive words and actions. 

Every movement starts with one person taking the first step in their own life. My first step is to contact a member of my immediate family whose beliefs are diametrically opposite of mine. Wish me luck. What step are you going to take?

Category: Blog