An adage is a short, philosophical or memorable saying which holds some important fact of experience that is considered wise by many people. I grew up with the adage: think before you speak. With today's technology, we should add: read before you write. If not, another wise adage is: keep your thoughts to yourself. Doing that may keep you from: putting your foot in your mouth.
Or as Andy Rooney stated: "Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them."
Adages, like these, are to help us but there may a slight flaw in this "thinking before we speak" idea. Most often, while thinking, we bring into our awareness the things we know, yet the things we know may not be current truth. Think about it. Changes may have occurred since the last time we investigated something. Reading (researching) will help us learn more. However that entails both sides of a situation and not bias researching. Another adage was: take it from the source. Which meant, is this source reliable?
It also entails us to read, really read and not just scan over something, to know more, especially if it's important enough. Too many are falling victim to ADD which makes me wonder why this flow is growing so prevalent in an educated society?
As a person who likes to think, read and observe, as well as having the ability to sense things, I'm discovering there are more people who are forgetting these wise adages as well as forgetting about Karma or the Golden Rule. They are all about giving their opinion without understanding the consequences or that there are two sides to every situation. Not understanding both sides, before making a judgment call, can easily show our ignorance to those who know more about the subject. Maybe we should add one more adage: sense universal truth first. Those who are more "psychically attuned" will understand how valuable this is. That is, as long as they're into universal truth and not just their truth. I've learned that even a psychic can be bias, especially in their earlier learning days.
To continue, far too many people seem to think that just because they're hiding behind a computer, on social media, they can say anything they want. Many, lately, have acquired a bad habit of biased or hateful opinions. They make choices without truly understanding there are consequences. Let me rephrase this: during my life, I have never seen anyone get away with anything ... ever. Just because we may not see something occur, doesn't mean it hasn't or it won't.
We may hide behind a computer but there's no hiding from the universe.
Furthermore, we tend to develop bad habits, including the one called arrogance. Sometimes, it's a bad habit due to a lack of "mind to mouth filtering." Like any habit, they can become difficult to break. After all, who needs those wise adages anyway? Yes, we're living in a world of wisdom but arrogance too. When has developing a bad habit of arrogance ever overruled common sense?
We need to learn to break the habit of speaking or writing without thinking or researching. In order to do this, we first have to accept the fact that it is up to each of us to control our tongue ... our words ... our thoughts. That's where another great adage, my mother's favorite, can help ... the Golden Rule. We tend to forget this one when we're throwing out contemptible or vulgar words. I've been guilty of it myself, so I speak from experience. However, I have diligently worked on being a better person and not stay down if I do fall.
I'm sure it bothered my dad when I did bring myself down. He held all of his children in high regards. He used to tell us that the words we use show our intelligence or lack of it. He learned that from his father who he considered a very intelligent man. Thirty years in the Navy, my father never cursed ... ever ... before, during or after. A sailor who never cursed? Yep! A rare breed, but that's because he was programmed to believe it made you less of a person and it was the same beliefs he tried to instill in his children.
Anyway, being an observer of people, I began to see the wisdom in his words. Social media comments showed me this too. No judgment just a discernment. I can tell who knows something or who doesn't because of sensing. I can sense the feelings behind the words and many times try to ignore the words because of it. Yet, many times, the hate or ignorance behind the words are too much to ignore. Then I may venture forward with help or an explanation to open one's mind, even if they may not be immediately receptive to what I offer or never receptive. I do this with respect for mutual learning because I truly appreciated it when someone has done this for me; kindly showing me a different perspective out of love and not hate. Does anyone really want to be taught with hate? I doubt it.
It's seriously something to consider when tossing our words around publicly or via the Internet.
Lastly, let's reprogram ourselves to stop blaming (as much as possible). We, as adults, are responsible for the words that come out of our mouth or what we write. Did anyone make us do it? Is anyone holding a gun to our head and telling us to type or speak ignorance, vulgarity or hate? Please keep in mind that what we do shows others who we are. If we don't feel comfortable about what we feel, don't say anything. It could be a message that there's more to know before we speak.
And, speaking of "messages," just as I was finalizing my blog, I took a break, as I normally do, and decided to read my emails before returning to check it over once more before posting it. I received an email with this quote (below) and decided to share it too.
The universe really does work in mysterious ways.
~~~~~ Lao-Tze ~~~~~
Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
