There are words not in fashion these days. The words are so old they are perhaps Victorian. Words like honor and commitment. When these words are used by someone who truly understands the weight of words, there is a time of hesitation, of expectancy and a heart stopping moment that puts the word into a time frame resulting in a memory. We may forget the deed or the one who used the word, but we will forever know the true meaning of these words.
The meaning of commitment in this day seems to have flown out with all the trendy verbiage that seems to inundate the ethers. The word itself brings to mind a feeling of duty along with the knowledge that here is something expected of us or our work. It is asking something of us. We are involved with the word. We must take upon ourselves all that we are in performing whatever it is that we have either created or are part of. Whatever our work, our marriages or our children, we are party to them and our responsibility should not be in question. We know the meaning of the word because someone loved us enough at some time in a some place and taught us what commitment meant. We may not remember the teacher but if we know the word and meaning, the lesson was well taught.
It means that we were worth the lesson. It means that someone cared. And we are here, now in the midst of the work and we know our responsibility. This does not mean that abusive relationships should be tolerated. What this does mean is that in the ordinary course of our lives there will be those things which we will want to opt out of. Too hard, too messy, and no glamour. Certainly we deserve better we think.
What we must take into account is our attitude. There is one very immediate term used by the young which I applaud. Suck it up they say. Exactly. Suck it up. Stay with the program, change our attitude and make it better. Somebody did it with us at some time. Remember the lesson. The fact that we are here and breathing means that the lesson was delivered. Now it is for us to relearn the meaning. Perseverance, responsibility, duty and deliverance. Many are watching us and our performance. Commitment. Show them the time and effort were not misplaced and we are worthy.
This is the classroom. Paradise is the result
3 responses to “The Weight Of Words”
Hey Grandma,
I like this piece. I think the validity of the word commitment raises an interesting topic of not only the word and its textbook definition, but also the words individual meaning among the human race. We are gentle creatures, even though violence and war seem to overrun out media and homes at time, but we are still a somewhat sensitive race. The only race to truly derive emotions from words and actions, versus just animal instinct to survive. Darwin’s theory of evolution, survival of the fittest. All of these call for philosophical questions, but the beauty of one word, one moment, one emotion, may be worth a lifetime of words.
ahhh, Ashley, you see it. And what of the not so beautiful moment? The weight of words, either to build or dismantle is always a choice and requires a long view.
I do believe in our society words suffer from duality in a sense. It’s not the textbook definition that derives meaning for a word, it’s tonality and emotion behind the usage. So speaking of the not so beautiful moment, I believe words can be double-faced, just like people, objects, and emotions.