A bird has its wings to fly and feet to hold on twigs and branches of a tree. As I watched this bird move between branches, it relied on these functions which are within its control.
Some things are in our control and some are not.
What is in our control is what we speak and how we speak!
I have had this thought engaging my attention in the recent days.
Our attitude and manner of speech are the means of our communication with which we present ourselves to others.
I had an occasion of experiencing last week, a positive attitude and a thoughtful way of speaking, from an official from the Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India. It was in connection with matters related to the ASHIRVAD trust and the routine verification of the matters related to the trust.
On seeking more clarifications, I was touched the way the official took care to be fair, appreciative and affirming.
What we leave behind in our conversations with others is our attitude and the manner of speaking.
On one occasion at work, this came up in an impressive way. In a conversation with a parent, I sensed an overwhelming accommodation of the inconveniences that a child suffered at school who was on treatment for attention deficit. The way the parent talked about teachers was with consideration and appreciation of their earnest efforts to help.
This expression of the disappointment of the parent was in a tone similar to what I found in a verse in the New Testament of the Bible: 'Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each other' (Colossians 4:6). A parallel verse in James 1:9 is, 'Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger'!
The language of aggression that we find in the news channel, parliament, legislative assembly, political meetings, etc seem to invade our homes and work place!
I feel the need to modulate my attitude and manner of speaking in a way, the listener is in focus!
The bird has its wings and feet to function. Our attitude and manner of speech are the means by which we can function socially to bring cheer to others!
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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