Words!

Words can hurt!

I am sure most adults know this. Yet, even with the best of intentions, we sometimes end up hurting people. Or, if not hurting, causing some amount of discomfort at least.

Sometimes it is mere thoughtlessness; sometimes it is blindness to our privilege.

Both, I believe, are not recommended. For, if being thoughtful of the diversity among the people of this world and being aware of our own privilege--given to us by social constructs--can mean that we cause less pain to folks who are not quite so privileged, then, why be thoughtless?

Why be blind?

Where's this coming from?

From a mail that a person sent to my mailbox (look at the image above) intending to inspire, and yet managed to cause only irritation and discomfort.

The irritation and discomfort were--

side-effects (alas) of wondering who made this person the judge of love stories (is there a panel out there that sits and decides which are the best stories of love and commitment in real life?);

frustration at the caption's blatant discounting of his mother (however, this seems to be internet wide, for, except for that early bit in the above image, I could find no stories from Hoyt's mother's perspective);

and discouragement at being told that love between two men (and by extension two women, or anybody in between) is something surprising and oh yeah, don't you worry because we are talking about a father and a son here (and the paternal and filial love), nothing to feel uncomfortable about.

Not to mention wonder at the inherent thought in that post that folks who are differently-abled are somehow not capable of doing certain things or achieving certain landmarks that most humans can, and hence, when someone like that achieves something, all the privileged people should gather around and award them or pat them on the back because, well, you know, who can judge better than the privileged what a certain person can or can't do?

Perhaps, the irritation was unwarranted. After all, Hoyt's story was worth knowing, no matter what the caption or the snippet on that message said. 

However, words have power don't they?

Power to discount!Power to invalidate!

Power to make a person feel less than a person!

Power to spread unhappiness!

Words, if given some thought and awareness, also has the power to be inclusive! Power to inspire!

Power to make a person feel like a person!

Power to spread happiness!

Just thought and awareness is all your need. To turn the power of words around.