Words Matter!

What we say, how we say it, why we say it—it matters!

Words influence.  And when someone is moved to take action by someone’s words, the words themselves are the source of said action.  In other words, words DO!  Thoughts become words, words become deeds.

“Your word is my command,” ever hear that?  Have you ever said that to someone (light heartedly, of course), when that someone has asked you to do something?  “Just say the word, and I shall do it.”

Words are not empty sounds that disappear into nothingness.  That’s why we have a cautionary saying: “Be careful what you say, for you can’t take it back.”  Words have impact.  That’s why we have another saying: “Think, before you speak!”  Or, “Think about what you’re saying.”

Words carry meaning, signal intent, and even shape our reality.  Words are evocative and translate ideas into suggestive action.  They bark out orders and assert demands.  They invite response or command obedience.  Words can be dangerous!

Officials, people in positions of responsibility, speak with power and effect.  “Stop right there!” shouts a police officer, and most people stop.  As to those who don’t, they know that they are in active rebellion against a rightful authoritative spoken word.

Words are also inexact.  They can be confusing.  There is such a thing as double entendre, double meaning.  Indeed, words have multiple meanings; may even sound exactly the same while having exact opposite meanings: raise the barn or raze the barn, build up or take down, which is it?  We must choose our words carefully.

I could go on about words.  Suffice it to say that this is why a president, or any elected official for that matter, must speak rightly, carefully, meaningfully, and with as much precision as to intent and purpose as possible.  There is too much at stake—in terms of national security, international affairs, or economic stability, and so on and so forth—for a president’s words to be misunderstood or misinterpreted or mistakenly taken!

So, yes, a good president must weigh his/her words carefully.  Of course, he/she must mean what he says and say what he means, by speaking with clarity and accuracy, avoiding unnecessary confusion whenever possible.  The president is a statesman (/woman), not a comedian and so shouldn’t act or speak like a comedian.  To say, “I was only kidding,” or “I was simply being ironic,” in the aftermath of much confusion or much offense taken by a listening populace, just doesn’t cut it.  There is no excuse for foolish innuendo, silly irony, or petty joking around with loaded words or the imprecise use of words in anyone who aspires to hold the highest office in the land.