WORD ETHICS

How conscious are we before we start to converse, talk, express…? How powerful are our words in conveying exactly the flash that appeared as a thought/idea in our mind? How true are we in practising what we preach? How many of us are aware of the fact that each and every word we say reveals our attitude, our personality, our feelings towards others and self? What care do we take in not hurting others through words?

It is high time for us to think of all these things. Ask why? We all now talk of communication skills, interpersonal skills, soft skills as a vital factor in entering the software, why, any industry for that matter.

The foundation for interpersonal skills lies in command over a language, courage to address people and above all our attitude, knowledge of the purpose in our delivery. Teasing, oral abuse, insult are all happening in all parts of the world irrespective of the varied spheres of life. Especially, people with pride, adolescents full of fun, people pretending to be over smart, superiors for whom the subordinates are slaves, form the sources for aforesaid abuses.

What is the reason to worry about all these stuffs? You wonder right?! Here comes the answer-

What if a parent says to his/her child, “ ‘let go this time, but take an oath that you will succeed the next time!’ instead of ‘Uh! You are a dumb boy! Or you are a useless fellow!’ ”?

What if a teacher asks, “ ‘tell me what your problem is. Let us find a solution together.’ instead of ‘well it is high time for you to help cattle to graze’”?

What if a friend says, “‘don’t worry. You can do it. You need patience and perseverance that’s all’ instead of ‘I asked you not to risk right? ’”?

Will the world not be as nice as it could have been if we had changed the way we speak? Why did we forget to think in this way? What stops us to feel the importance of such a serious issue?

“My superior reacts to me the way I react to my subordinates” – an answer as simple and obvious as it can be! The POWER, possession of mere designation shuts the sixth sense and makes the boneless tongue to twist as worst as it can!
Everyone is after respect. Everyone loves to be regarded in a higher position than they deserve. Isn’t it?
Factual saying goes like this ‘give respect and take respect!’. What you sow, so you reap. That’s true in all cases.
If a teacher scolds in a rubbish language at a student, the student talks so, at the back of him. How could any barbaric language reap respect? We’ve got to make sense!!
Think twice before you speak, once more when you scold! Just coz a person is in a good social status, or in a higher position, does not get the power to abuse any individual.

We are now spending lots putting on accent, learning the foreign language without cultivating a positive civilized mental attitude, which is the foundation for the real ‘human’ being! Putting on an accent, having good social strata, earning handfuls does, but make you just a ‘being’ and not a human being!

Thousand ways are there to correct people, to make others realize their mistakes. Let us not toxicate ourselves by using negative, abusary, barbaric language!

According to me a possible solution would be to make it a compulsory for both students and teachers, included in their syllabi, a subject on positive, purposeful, harmless, soothing communication in the language they learn. As today’s students are tomorrow’s individuals, the sole responsibility lies with the teachers to mould the students properly in a way they make a better life on earth!

“Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man.
–Swami Vivekananda.”
So, lets start from the foundation named school and academic institution and grow higher and higher in our character! Be happy, be cheerful, enjoy life, have fun – at the same time take enough care that not a single word or deed of yours hurts another soul.


Best wishes and Cheers,
Nadhi.