Words Matter: A Letter

Writer: Farah Hassan

Editor: Doaa Saady


WORDS MATTER: AN OPEN LETTER ON THE REPERCUSSIONS OF HATEFUL WORDS

To Whom it may concern,

When we think of harm, we immediately associate that to some sort of physical pain. But it is not necessarily the physical blows that are the most harmful.

It is easy to post a comment on social media without putting much thought into it. It is easy to make a sarcastic remark or make fun of someone. It is easy to even delete the comment and pretend it never existed and feign ignorance. Denial is ignorance, and the world that is the internet is not a kind nor private place. It is easy to hurt someone with words, and what takes mere seconds to utter can leave an imprint that lasts a lifetime.

A word spoken that lingered far too long with us. A word uttered we wish we could take back. A word unsaid aching to come to life. It matters not whether we spoke it, heard it or longed for it to be said, what may be regarded as certain – words, or lack thereof have a deep seated repercussion on our well-being. Secretly, quietly, and behind everyone’s back, these words haunt us, replaying them and ultimately believing them.

Bullying and using hateful words is a profound disease, and the discrimination or bigotry in our society, in private and public institutions, in high and middle schools and even in kindergartens is a testimony that much needs to be done. A word of advice that I wish someone would have told me when I was younger is to not make someone’s words a priority to you, when all you ever were to them was an option.

For that reason, it is not sufficient enough to think only good thoughts and think that everything will be alright. Your faith comes from believing, it is the very words that when heard changes you, you need to speak those thoughts and have them manifested into the world – think of it this way, a thought that is within you is a thought unsaid and it is only until you speak that thought and give it a vibration into the world that it actually manifests.

Regardless to your beliefs, every word that you speak will be held accountable and you alone will be judged accordingly.

During our lifetime, we are bound to meet people and not all of them end up becoming our friends for the simple reason of us having different values and principles that we stand by them. This is the fundamental dilemma which a lot of us fall victims to – we inevitably stress about what other people think of us and how they see us. We live in a society where we must abide to the rules set out for us, otherwise we may be frowned upon. Regrettably some people are all too eager on expressing their disagreement, however nasty they want it to be overlooking other people’s feelings and emotions.

Your words are a reflection of the kind of person you wish to be, instead of succumbing to malicious remarks and perpetuating further hurt.

I don’t not know who needs to read this but, moral of the story – words matter. Words matter.