Sometimes, when I think I've said a lot, I realize I've said very
little.
The assignment was simple. Students were to write a short
paper detailing three things they felt strongly about. When all were
finished, I collected the papers and re-distributed them to their peers
to check for grammatical errors, redundancy, and wordiness.
One
young lady approached my desk. "Doesn't this sentence say that same as
the previous one," she asked.
"It does," I replied.
A
short time later, she returned again, "Doesn't this sentence say the
same thing too?"
"Yes, it does," I said again.
With a
confused look and a sigh, she whispered, "But that only leaves one
sentence in the paragraph."
I shook my head and smiled, then
called the class to attention, "Class, life lesson. Sometimes, when we
think we have a lot to say, we have very little." The student-whose
paper was in question, laughed, but I was convicted.
Many are the
warnings God gives throughout the Bible with outright instruction or by
example about the potency of our words. Taking into consideration those
warnings-and noticing that I have two ears but only one mouth, I've
concluded it's better to listen more than I talk. I'll learn more, stay
out of trouble, and develop healthier relationships.
The
classroom exercise also reminded me of how crucial it is to choose
carefully the words I write or speak. Since wordiness and redundancy are
rife, I need to make sure the words I give out are worth listening to.
Saying the most in the fewest words is challenging and requires
forethought, but is possible.
Since people's attention spans are
growing increasingly shorter, speaking or writing with as few words as
possible is wise. Otherwise, I'll lose those whom I think I have
something to say to.
Words reflect my character-the person I
really am on the inside. I have a sneaky suspicion the young student was
attempting to take a shortcut. Since I require a minimum of five
sentences in a paragraph, he was shooting for the goal rather than truly
thinking about what he felt strongly about. His attempt was foiled by a
student with a watchful eye.
At the end of the day, ask, "Are
people benefiting from what you say or write?"
Martin Wiles Hodges, South Carolina, USA
