Sticks and Stones
by: Michael W. Thornton
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words Of course, we all know the silly little expression that we cried on the playground to stop the bully, from attacking us with words. However, is it true? Will words never hurt us? Of course not! Words can literally cut through us and make us feel like we are nobody! They slice through us like a razor thin blade held up by the great adversary of our life. I should know how painful words feel. You see, when I was a baby, I had Spinal Meningitis, and spent several months in Arkansas Childrens Hospital recovering from its effects on my young life. Therefore, you can assume correctly that I did not have a great start to my childhood. However, the problems did not go away after I started school. Some of my classmates figured out that I was different then they were, so they started calling me the dreaded R word!
Retard! Oh how that terrible that word made me feel. I knew that I was a little different but retarded. No, I was not retarded! I had a slight speech impediment (and still do, but I can live with it), and maybe I did not learn as quickly as they did, but I do not consider myself retarded. In fact, I do not consider any person who is slower than average retarded; they just think and act in a different way than normal people.
Retard! I cannot remember the first time someone used that word when talking to me, but I do remember the hurt that I felt every time I heard it. To be truthful here, it really felt like a ton of bricks no worse, more like manure being dumped on me. It was as if they were saying, Youre not worthy to even be on the same playground with us! Get away you little idiot! Gee, how small that word made me feel.
Mom, why do they pick on me? That question, I asked numerous times when I was growing up. In fact, I still question why they picked on me. Did it really matter? Did they achieve their objective of making me feel like a worthless soul? No, of course not! If anything they did achieve was to give me a sense of knowing that I was different from some kids, but that was what made me unique!
Retard! Every time I type that word here, brings out the pain that I felt back then. Oh, how this stung me deep down inside. In fact, the more I reflect on it, the angrier I get. In reality, I wish that I could go back in time and tell those little punks off! Better yet, I want to demonstrate to them how awful it really felt by calling them some names of my own. However, would that really make a difference?
For some people, Retard may not be the word that haunts them like a Pit Bull who has not had a meal in many days! Their word might be loser, moron, nobody, or worse yet it may be the saying, You make me sick! It really does not matter what bullies say to put people down, all words will hurt when they are said in a harmful way. Besides being harmful, words may also be positive in a persons life. I remember a number of people telling me that I can do anything I set my heart to do, and not to let anyone tell me that I could not do it. You are not what others tell you who you are; you are who you make yourself to be. It was my option to decide, Was I going to let the two or three morons tell me that I was not a worthy person, or was I going to let my life be determined by who I chose to become? Words truly do make a difference in a persons life.
Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words can be as beautiful as a single red rose in a vase. I always look for the good in all people and say nice things about them. Words can either lift people up or bring them down why not say something positive about everyone you encounter today. Even your worse enemy needs to hear a positive word today, so why not be nice to them the next time you meet. It just might make a big difference in their life.
