Eat Your Words

I was browsing through a recent AARP Bulletin today and found a most enlightening editorial by Russ Allison Loar of Claremont, CA.  AARP asked readers to respond to the topic a Favorite Teacher and Russ "won" the essay contest.

During one long fourth grade day, Russ had drawn a portrait of his teacher Mrs. Voss, at the blackboard that was unflattering to say the least.  To add insult to injury he had also added some unsavory descriptive remarks intended to amuse his friends whom he intended to share the artwork with. Unfortunately for Russ, his teacher had seen him hard at work at something and wandered by his desk to check it out.  She picked up the sheet, asked him politely to see her at the end of class and continued on with her duties.

After class, Russ crept up to the her desk, and was asked nicely by Mrs. Voss to read to her what he had written on his drawing, which he shamefully did, then told him "Now you know what it is to eat your words."

 Politicians and commentators often write or speak ill of others in public forums, often untruthful or without any facts to back them up because they want approbation from their constituency.  They are seldom ever forced to say those words to the face of the person they have maligned. For that matter gossip behind a person's back is much the same.  Are we not seeking approval of our friends by stabbing someone else in the back?

Newspapers, radio and tv stations should demand more accountability from their contributors ... if it's a lie, don't print or say it.  If it's innuendo, be prepared to back it up. I for one am going to attempt to never speak ill of someone, not that it isn't tempting to do, and it's a habit hard to break. I shall just try to ask myself, would I say this if that person were there in front of me.

Maybe if more of us were forced to eat our words ... hurtful or denigrating remarks we've made about others ... we might have a more civil, if not better world.