Watching Our Words

One of the fastest ways to accelerate spiritual growth begins with governance over (3) primary areas of our expression; Speech, Deeds, and Thoughts. If we can discipline ourselves in these three categories, we’ll begin a rapid progression towards the light of the Creator.

As you might expect, this is far easier said than done.

Speech

The first of these, Speech, is arguably one of the most difficult to control in our time. Quite often technology and social media only fan the sparks of gossip and evil speech (Lashon Hara – Hebrew) into devastating fires. A quick jab at a politician or celebrity will live on in perpetuity for millions and billions of eyes to see for years to come. With each view, share, and like – we compound the consequences upon ourselves.

The Talmud says, “The gossiper stands in Syria and kills in Rome.” Consider this, in an age without digital technology, gossip had international impact – how much more so in our time?

Further, the impact of evil speech is accrued by more than the progenitor. One Rabbi writes, that gossip and slander kill (3) people; the Speaker, the Listener, and the one whose name is slandered.

In the Torah, Miriam, (the Holy prophetess and Sister of Moses and Aaron), is judged with a week-long affliction for gossiping about Moses’ wife (Tzipporah). In her case, the offense was minimal compared to the daily barrage of posts, tweets, and shares the average American might commit before noon.

While many spiritual leaders, (whether on pulpits, stages, or youtube), provide useful information for personal development, they often fail to address the immediate concerns that hold us back. The Torah teaches us that ego, slander, anger, and many other character flaws will stunt any development we hope to achieve - until remedied.

In the west, we have grown too comfortable with evil speech, insulting people we don’t know, liking, sharing and posting negativity for a few likes. We have lost the sensitivity and empathy to recognize the harm these actions carry and the spiritual consequences of which we’ll inevitably have to answer for.

So, here is the challenge, begin to focus on the words that come from our minds before they come out of our mouths.

Do not speaking negatively
Do not mocking others
Do not speaking harmful or hurtful words
Do not speak out of anger
Do not speak arrogantly
Do not put others down
Do not joke at the expense of another person
Do not embarrass others
Do not cause or continue arguments
Do not speak falsely, exaggerate, or lie
Lastly, be careful with everything you do in your social media accounts.