voice as power.

“Lend your voices only to sounds of freedom”—Jewel

Yeah, I am going to get all ethical on you. I’m going to rant because I believe that human expression holds power and that therefore every, single thing we say holds power. Shoot, Ponyboy, I should probably seal my lips more often to make sure that I lend my voice only to sounds of freedom.

Two years ago tomorrow, someone made a comment that I have been reflecting on a lot lately. In an elevator full of men riding up to the floor on which I was an RA, someone said “Oh, we’re all going up to the top? Party in mt’s room!” to which another man replied, “Nah, orgy in mt’s—I shotty her mouth.” Those words, that voice degraded me. Those words encouraged others to degrade me. The silence of voices that could have lent themselves to freedom, to respect, to love, to humanity allowed me to remain degraded. The power of these voices were used to harm another being.

I suppose it’s for reasons such as this that people (me included) cause such a fuss about being “PC.” Language holds power and can be used to humanize or dehumanize, honor or degrade, love or hate. Things that just fly out of our mouths before we even stop to think have the potential to affect lives, to affect living, breathing people.

Yoga breaths. Deep, calming, yoga breaths. Enough with my ranting. I want to use words to love, to free, to empower. I want to use words as mantras so that I am constantly growing more deeply in that love. That is why I shared a doodle of some of my favorite words from June 2008. For those who can't tell what the hell it says since they're all jumbled, they are:

hope.

choice.

love.

freedom.

compassion.

humanity.

courage.