Sticks and Stones

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. What a crock right? I remember the first time my Mom told me that little fixer-upper for a poem. I was in Kindergarten and a boy who was in the 6th grade had been very mean to me, calling me names. His Mom was called into the Prinicpals office, but my Mom was never told of the incident by the faculty of the school. The boy was in the office when his Mom showed up to meet with our Principal. I was standing outside the door of the office when she arrived. Her first words were, "are you the one that got him into trouble?" What a joke! That kid didn't need my help to get into trouble. I nodded my head. She was a big woman and looked like a giant from where I stood. She asked me what he had said to me that could get her precious little deviant son in so much trouble. I told her, "he called me a little bitch." Of course, I had no idea what that word really meant at that time, but I get it now loud and clear. I knew it wasn't good though, from the tone in his voice and the look in his eye when he said it. When she heard what her son said she leaned down to me, squinting her eyes, wrinkling up her nose, her face growing more red from her anger, and her attitude was full of hate when she responded to me, "that's because you are a little bitch!" What a thing to tell a 5 year old huh? I went home that afternoon and told my Mom what had happened. Of course she ripped the administration a new one before she got to her speach for me, but she finally did get to it. She told me she loved me, that I wasn't "what her son had called you," and then began to recite that aweful poem. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. She explained what it meant, but she was wrong. My Mom was never wrong, yet she was that time! As stupid as it seems, those words still hurt me to this day. Not to mention the fact that "bitch" was my first learned cuss word. Yay me!

I thought about our discussion in class on Thursday, this whole weekend. Dr. Sexson is right. You never forget what hurts you when it comes in the form of words. But then I thought about it more when I went to the testicle festival last night. Words are very powerful, but the actions that back them up seem to be even more powerful. Like the look in their eyes when someone calls you a name or tells you no for a dance or how people walk as far as they can around you just so that they don't have to be near your pressence. So I started to think Dr. Sexon was wrong about words. Maybe words weren't really the thing that cut to the very core of a human-being, but maybe it was the action behind them. So this morning when I woke up I thought long and hard about it and I began to realize that actions are words. They just aren't spoken. The action of throwing a stick or stone is a nonverbal communication intended to hurt someone, whereas words are just a verbal usuage to do the same thing. That little poem, or whatever you'd call it, is contradictory. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. How are these two instances any different? If they are both looked upon as action and action is the equivalent of words then they are the very same thing. Maybe the saying should go, Sticks and stones may break my bones and words will always hurt me too. I realize this blog is supposed to be about the bible, but I thought this was relevant to class since we had been talking about language.

As for the bible part of this blog, let me just say, I'm at the very end of Genesis now and things are getting weirder. Jacob loving Rachel and having to marry Leah too. Finally making up with his brother Esau and then losing Rachel. Poor Dinah getting raped, and Jacob worrying about the consequences of his boys killing everyone in town more than how his daughter feels. I'm almost sickened by that story. Besides, why should Jacob even worry....or rather I guess his name is Israel, when God told him that he was going to be with him. If you have the greatest power in the world or universe or whatever on your side, why would you worry about what another man could do to you? It's so easy for Israel to forget God is with him and it takes getting on his knees, basically, to remember he is good in the sight of the Lord. Makes a person wonder why we forget the good things so easily.