The world of words (The Hindu)

The world of words

[-Nazreen Fazal, in The Hindu * Sunday, January 04, 2015 in Open Page]

One of the things all languages have in common is a reservoir of lethal words that are designed to hurt. Often these might not be dangerous by themselves, but when coupled with a harsh tone and dressed in resentment, they could be more hurtful than even physical blows.

These words don’t all hurt in the same way. They bear down on you differently based on the occasion, the style of delivery, and who unleashes them on you. There are the blunt words that hurt without leaving a mark to show. The sharp words are so swift you don’t even realize you are suddenly bleeding inside. The paper cut words come when you least expect them. Then there are the words that choke: they slowly accumulate and curl themselves around you, strangling you a little more each day, till the point where taking another breath will hurt you physically.

I can see words when I watch people talk. As they come out of mouths as projectiles I can see how perfectly coated they are in their resentment. I see them slap and strangle, cut and choke. I see them hitting the other person and extracting a reaction of the same or more magnitude. These words never die or disappear. They are just hanging in the air. Often they launch themselves into the unknown crevices of your being, only to declare themselves the moment before you crash. Did I say they never help? They don’t.

These words have their own sounds too as they go about wreaking havoc. There is the crack-of-the-whip word, the slicing-knife word, the crushing-wood word, the shattering-glass word, the slap-on-the-face word. Do you hear them? Strain your ears a little more, you will.

All these words hurt, but at least they are honest about their intent. The one I detest the most is the deceitful word. The one masquerading to be on your side, when all along it was just chipping at the corners of your sanity, eating away whatever peace of mind you had. They are the worst of them all.

Wait, maybe not. The worst words, the most lethal ones, are the words of mass destruction. The ones which destroy everything, cut through all relations, wipe away years of trust, and crush all dreams. They leave no love behind. And, most important of all, they ensure that every single heart in the vicinity is also scarred for life. Yes, they are the worst.

Where do these words spring from, though? Surely they don’t exist in a vacuum! Maybe finding the story of that word will cause it to let its guard down. Maybe these words need to be caught mid-air, before they hit you. Maybe they need to be examined for what they really are – flying debris of hurt.

But there are other words too, thankfully, to help us cope.

The kind word, the loving word, words of solace, words that envelop you in warm embrace even when you are breaking into million pieces. These are the words that we need more than anything at this point in time. Maybe your word can be first one in this new story that we weave for ourselves. Or maybe you can look in and change the story of your word. If nothing less, maybe you can hold back your broken word and nurture it till you heal.

Whatever you choose let it be only the good word that escapes your lips today. (nazreenfazal92@gmail.com)