:) Psych

나는 당신에게 무엇인가
당신은 나에게 무엇인가
무엇이 우리를 우리로 만들었는가

우리는 생각해 볼 필요가 있다.

Lee, Jamie
Professor E. Gray
WRIT 111
6 September 2008

This I Believe Essay:

The Word; To Represent or To Be Represented

I believe in “words.” But, what is “word?” The Oxford dictionary defines it as “something that someone speaks or writes.” However, people often say words represent the one who speaks or writes. Does it really?

I became more and more aware of the issue as I grew older. Going to school, I learned a whole lot of new vocabulary words, which were quite fascinating, as were the swearing words. Speaking such a disgraceful language was considered to be “cool” at the time and I started to use the language quite often. The effect of such an action brought an unexpected result. I became the word I spoke. I was transforming into a cynical monster, who curses everything and everyone standing in front of it. It was as if the word was no longer representing what I felt, but I was representing the word I spoke. Cursing had become a part of me.

People often forget that the words they speak or write can actually change them completely by controlling their thoughts. When a person is only thinking of hating something, the emotion mostly fades away after a while. However, if a person is to express the feeling externally, the despising emotion remains and continues. The word “hate” makes a great example of this. “Hate” is one of the most manipulative words of all. Even though the word is so powerful, people use it so lightly in everyday life. For instance, people often say, “I hate my job” or “I hate my life” even if their feelings are no more than a lack of satisfaction, and not a dislike of anything. At the moment, he or she is modifying his or her dissatisfaction or frustration to hostility subconsciously. Then, suddenly, she or he is representing the words of hatred.

Loving people do not talk of hate. Mother Teresa would never say, “I hate wars”; Mahatma Gandhi would never say “I hate Great Britain for taking advantage of my country”; Martin Luther King Jr. would never say, “I hate white people for discriminating against us.” As I realized that speaking or writing could transform people, these leaders(and so many more other leaders) knew that such words involve a power that is so great that it can destroy not only others, but also themselves. Although they have disliked or disagreed with others, they did not express themselves with such words as “I hate.” Instead, they talked about what they loved and what they valued the most.

Gossiping also plays a big role in creating hatred. It is safe to say everyone gossips. If I would grab anyone on the streets of Manhattan and ask if they have ever gossiped, no one will say, “No, I have never gossiped before in my life,” unless they are Jesus Christ. When people gossip, they tend to exaggerate their feelings. One little unintentional slip of the tongue often turns into an evil attack. Sometimes, even love is altered by hate. If the action is continued and eventually habituated, the speaker can lose control of his or her words.

I used to take gossiping very lightly. I gossiped constantly, and, eventually, I became the “ultimate hater.” I hated everything.  Literally, everything. I hated all of my friends. If they were to annoy me a tiny bit, I would gossip about them even though they hadn’t done anything wrong. When I realized the great power of the words I had been spewing, it was too late. My best friends turned into my worst enemies. We were no longer “sisters.” I knew that I loved them and cared for them, but as soon as the gossip started, everything was over. We started to grow apart of one another. Even though I noticed that our friendship is fading away, I was still gossiping about how they were not good friends anyway. As I realized the outcome and I could not mend, I was devastated; not only because of losing someone I loved and trusted, but also because of what I turned into. I have regretted so much over the last few years. I tried so hard to be more optimistic toward life, and to fix my friendships. However, I failed miserably, and the feelings of loathe and distrust have remained within me until now.

The human society has been dominated by the “words” for thousands of years. I remember a quote from the bible that says, “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.” (Proverb 21:23) This means, the person who knows how to control his tongue will be able to save himself from being manipulated by the words he or she speaks. Now, do “words” really represent you? Or have you been representing the word you speak? I believe in words.