A friend, Julia Cornes, made the following statement on Facebook recently "too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring all of which can turn your life around.". What prompted her to make that statement I know not. Of course I agree with the statement - who could not. However for some years now I have been only too aware of the power those seemingly small things can have on others. and have attempted (not always successfully) to do those things. However I would turn the statement around and venture to suggest that too often we underestimate the power of an unkind word, flattery (flattery is a Bad Thing and corrupts both the giver and the receiver whereas a compliment is a Good Thing), and the smallest act of neglect all of which can turn someone's life around. If we can do the former things and not do the latter then we can become better people. More importantly we may help to make someone else a happier person.
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Optimism in Trouble
5 days ago
You're so right. Sometimes there is a whole world of power in a word or a gesture - or even silence.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Just looking someone in the eyes and smiling...you never know what that might mean to them.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting, in the grocery stores the clerks can be unfriendly, off in their own little world, irritated at the customers, but I try to make a point of talking to them and I'm so pleased when they will really look at me and the barrier melts. So maybe it's not really the clerks with the bad attitudes, maybe it's sometimes the customers?