The Assignment from BellaDonna

My new friend BellaDonna challenged me in her comment regarding my blog The Power of Words. Maybe challenged is a little strong. Always the professor, this is what she said:



Words are powerful because they have the ability to create or to destroy.



Think about that. What examples spring to mind?



Here's a prompt: Write a poem (or piece of prose) on the creative -- or destructive -- potential in words, using specific examples.



Well, here goes:



The teenage boy sat in the back of the classroom. He was three months into seventh grade and things were so different at this new school. Always before, in elementary school, he had been the class clown; the outgoing one. Now, in this new environment, he found himself the target of abuse. Verbal and physical abuse.

Here he comes. It's fat boy.


Look at his clothes.


You're ugly.

Taunts all day long. His books would disappear, only to be found hidden away.


Homework would be stolen, then grudgingly returned.

The outgoing little boy was disappearing, and a shy, introverted young man was taking his place.



Sometimes, that class clown would come out. The cheerleader made the class clown come out; the boy liked the cheerleader. So one day between classes, at her locker, the class clown asked her to go to a dance. After she got over the shock, what came next was not words, but laughter. Her friends joined in with her. The laughter cut just like well used words can cut. After that, the clown followed the advice of the Beatles. He hid his love away.



The teenage boy grew up to be a man. A quiet man. He became friends by graduation with all that originally bullied him. Even the cheerleader, who actually apologized.



He lives a quiet but happy life now. Most of the time. I see him every morning.








How do I know all this?








The teenage boy was me.

A repost from 12/08/2007 ~ Thoughts and musings on the Power of Words

I added some. It is in red

Sometimes I think that we don't know, or we forget, the power of those little things we string together to form sentences. They can bring a smile to someone's face or a tear to their eye. Also, what isn't said can sometimes be just as powerful; mainly hurtful. The forgotten "I Love You" all the way down to saying nothing at all.

What really sucks is when you say something and it is misunderstood. When I say something, it is only meant in a good way. When I offer advice, albeit unsolicited, it is not in a malicious manner. You can mean well and .....

SONG TIME!!!

I'm just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood.

QUOTE TIME!!!

Henry Brooks Adams said

"No man means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous."

What got me started thinking on this? It was lyrics I heard from the song "Sing For The Moment" by Eminem.

"Yet everybody just feels like they can relate, I guess words are a mothafucka they can be great. Or they can degrate, or even worse they can teach hate''

Surprisingly profound. *note "degrade" was intentionally misspelled to rhyme*

What got me re-thinking about the power of words? Things. Mainly, I posted a blog last night, which after some thought I deleted. It sounded cryptic, which was not my intention at all. Words can bring you up or down for sure. Certain words can bring you down even further. Take my word for it.

How powerful do you think words are?

No Title Needed

Don't go changing, to try and please me
You never let me down before
Don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you anymore

I could not leave you in times of trouble
We never would have come this far
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
I'll take you just the way you are

Don't go trying some new fashion
Don't change the color of your hair
You always have my unspoken passion
Although I might not seem to care

I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are.

I need to know that you will always be
The same old someone that I knew
What will it take till you believe in me
The way that I believe in you.

I said I love you and that's forever
And this I promise from the heart
I could not love you any better
I love you just the way you are.

I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are.

GBE 71 - Simple Pleasures

The subject this week is "Simple Pleasures." Here are some that I thought of over the past couple days, plus some I've heard over the years.

Receiving an unexpected compliment.


Helping someone in need.


Making someone smile.


Daydreaming


Finding money you didn’t know you had.


Receiving a real letter or package via snail mail.


Making the yellow light.


Hearing the right song at the right moment.


Catching a glimpse of bare skin on the opposite sex.


People watching.


A beautiful view.


Relaxing outdoors on a sunny day.


Listening to good music.


Taking a long, relaxing shower.


A good novel.


The smell of fresh-cut grass.


The smell of the earth.


Watching the sunrise.


Watching the sunset.


Walking on the beach.


Laughing till your sides hurt.


A long conversation with a good friend.


Being lazy on a Sunday.


An uncluttered room.


Fries and a milkshake.


Singing in the shower.


Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.


Homemade pie.


Laying back and watching the stars.


Laying back and looking up at clouds.


Watching a lightning storm.


Reese’s peanut butter cups.


PB&J sandwich.


Seeing your savings account grow.


Watching your debt shrink.


A gentle breeze.


Checking something off your to-do list.


A clear desk.


Watching animals in nature.


An empty email inbox.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "Simple Pleasures"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private, although it's not a necessity. It just makes it easier for everyone to read your submission.

GBE 70: Optimism

I saw the subject this week and knew it was a time for me to take a walk in the Garden of Quotes. I never know what I'll find.

This weeks subject is Optimism, which Merriam-Webster's defines as:

Pronunciation: /ˈäp-tə-mi-zəm/
Function: noun
Etymology: French optimisme, from Latin optimum, noun, best, from neuter of optimus best; akin to Latin ops power — more at opulent
Date: 1759

1 : a doctrine that this world is the best possible world

2 : an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome

“An optimist is the
human personification of spring.”
~ Susan J. Bissonette







“Smile when it hurts most.”



“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” ~ Maria Robinson



“May the love hidden deep inside your heart find the love waiting in your dreams. May the laughter that you find in your tomorrow wipe away the pain you find in your yesterdays.”







“Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again.” ~ Alex Tan



“If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.” ~ John Heywood (English Playwright and Poet, 1497-1580)



“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.” ~ Peace Pilgrim (American Teacher and Spiritual leader and Peace Prophet, 1908-1981)







“May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism.”



“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise” ~ Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)



“Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!” ~ Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)







“An optimist will tell you the glass is half-full; the pessimist, half-empty; and the engineer will tell you the glass is twice
the size it needs to be”


“A pessimist is a man who thinks all women are bad. An optimist is one who hopes they are.” ~ Chauncey Depew (American Industrialist and Politician, 1834-1928)



“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” ~ William Arthur Ward (American dedicated scholar, author, editor, pastor and teacher)



“Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. And you can do it when things are tough.” ~
Richard M. DeVos







“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” ~ Helen Keller (American Author and Educator who was blind and deaf. 1880-1968)



“Optimist: Day-dreamer more elegantly spelled” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)



“It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right”







“Optimist: Person who travels on nothing from nowhere to happiness” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)



“For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else” ~ Winston Churchill (British Orator, Author and Prime Minister during World War II. 1874-1965)



“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose” ~ Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese born American philosophical Essayist, Novelist and Poet. 1883-1931)







“I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will” ~ Antonio Gramsci (Italian intellectual, Politician and Founder of the Italian Communist Party whose ideas still greatly influence Italian Communism. 1891-1937)



“In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip.” ~ Daniel L. Reardon







“A pessimist only sees the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all--he's walking on them.” ~ Leonard L. Levinson



“Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power” ~William James (American Philosopher and Psychologist, leader of the philosophical movement of Pragmatism, 1842-1910)






“A pessimist is an optimist with experience” “One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.”






“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight. . . The truly wise person is colorblind.” ~ Albert Schweitzer (German medical Missionary,Theologian, Musician and Philosopher. 1952 Nobel Peace Prize,1875-1965)


“Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can't be done.” ~
Bo Bennett







“Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.”~ Lao Tzu (Chinese taoist Philosopher, founder of Taoism, wrote "Tao Te Ching" (also "The Book of the Way"). 600 BC-531 BC)



“May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism.”



“If I could turn the hands of time, I'll turn it forward to tomorrow. I want to move beyond with optimism and growth, taking the past which has gone by as my lessons in realizing the future with hope, courage and determination.”






“Great leaders are pragmatists who can deal with difficult realities but still have the optimism and courage to act.” ~ Nitin Nohria



"I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present." ~ Rabindranath Tagore



"I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams." ~
Dr. Jonas Salk



"I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy... you can't build on it; it's only good for wallowing in." ~
Katherine Mansfield

“The man who is a pessimist before forty-eight knows too much; if he is an optimist after it he knows too little” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910) “Teaching is the greatest act of optimism” ~ Colleen Wilcox

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you have a favorite quote about optimism?
I'd love for you to tell me.
Please feel free to share any that I didn't list,
as I am always interested in quotes.
I guess you could call me a
Quote Collector.

~Peace~


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "Optimism"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private, although it's not a necessity. It just makes it easier for everyone to read your submission.

GBE-69 - I Resolve To...

I haven't really resolved to do anything. After some soul searching at Christmas, I decided that I don't need to change myself to be liked. I will be me, I will not conform. You know me and quotes. One that came to mind was "To thine own self, be true." - Shakespeare (Hamlet) inspired by Socrates (Know Thyself). I have always loved that quote, but it was not something I aspired to do. Now it is. I am who I am.

Right now, I am smiling.

Here are a few other quotes. Then, enjoy this video. Great song and more great quotes. :D

"Conform and be dull." ~ James Frank Dobie

"I'm not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I've always been a freak. So I've been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I'm one of those people." ~ John Lennon

"The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself." ~ Rita Mae Brown






I wish everyone Peace, Love and Happiness as we move on into 2009. ~ Kevin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topics are

"I RESOLVE TO..."
-or-
"MY BEST/WORST LIST FOR 2008"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private so that everyone can read your blog.