Wednesday; July 18


          I was listening to the radio the other day and came across a musical group called the “Dangerous Snakes”.  My first thought was who in the world would come up with a name like that – my second thought was they had some pretty good music.  Through the years there have been some pretty odd sounding band names – the Beatles (notice the spelling of their name), Lynard Skynard, a regional group called Foxes and Fossils, Hootie And The Blowfish, Walk The Moon and many others that neither space nor good taste will allow me to put in this document.  I am sure there have been some names that made or broke the band, but for the most part, it was the music that determined whether a group became famous or fizzled.
          I imagine that bands spend a lot of time coming up with their name, but have you noticed how little thought we put into the names we call ourselves and others?  How we ever called ourselves a “loser” or “stupid” or “worthless”?  Have we ever demeaned someone by calling them “racist”, “weak” or a “fool”.  (And, yes there are many more hateful names we can call ourselves and others – but, I think you get my point.)  The difference between the titles we hang on a musical group and the names we call people is that when we label individuals, it influences how people feel about them.  When we call ourselves unflattering names, we begin to believe the self-talk and those qualities become self-fulfilling prophecies.  When we degrade others, those who hear it might believe what we say and look down on them.
          The words we use have meanings!  Do we hear what we are saying to ourselves or others?  More importantly, are we listening to what we say about ourselves and others?
Think About It!

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