I pride myself on knowing what to say at just the right moment. Mind you, I've never viewed this trait of mine in a positive light. In fact, I was recently talking to a group of people and we were discussing those "wonderful" feelings that arise when you tell that one person exactly what you think of them at the right moment while using as many fancy words as possible and using them correctly no less. The voice seems to become more articulate and before you know it, you've managed to spew out a number of things that you didn't even know you were holding onto with of course the addition of those things you did. Now, I don't know about you but no matter how great I think I'll feel after my verbal KO, I never quite reach that high. In fact, I feel quite low. Maybe it's the look on my sparring partner's face or the nods of dissapproval that now emanate from the crowd cheering just moments before. Maybe and this is without a doubt more likely, it's the basic age-old principle found in Scripture that "death and life are in the power of the tongue..." What we say sticks and it sticks for much longer than we'll ever really know.
What I find interesting about all of this is that it's very easy to speak before you think. It's downright stupid, but it's very easy and I've been known to take part in what I like to call "brain-dead speech" on more than one occasion. What's not so easy is typing before you think. But somehow I've managed to accomplish that as well. Now, when I first set out to blog, the intention was to highlight personal successes, failures, and adventures. The intention was certainly not to negatively highlight anyone else. Unfortunately, that's exactly what I've done. Very recently, I blogged about my frustrations while in preparation for a project (A post which has since been removed). Instead of subjecting me to public humiliation, an artist came directly to me and told me how the post was received. Needless to say, my actions however unintentional they may have been stung to the core. The theatre, the industry that I have chosen to love and be involved in is one of varying aesthetics and viewpoints and I in one moment decided that my viewpoint mattered more than someone else's. An apology has been made, but I'm no fool. Scars always replace wounds.
I guess what I'm ultimately trying to say is this. In a world of lightning speed communication and non-stop open displays of opinion, it wouldn't hurt for us to step back, breathe, and pray before parting our lips or placing our hands over the keys. In fact, in most cases it might hurt us not to.
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