Lent: Day Fifteen

The eleventh rung of humility is:

SPEAK GENTLY, CALMLY, AND BRIEFLY

This makes me think of when Kevin Smith used to make films. His two returning characters in all the films were Jay and Silent Bob. Jay was the fool and he always talked. Silent Bob was assumed to be a fool because he hung around with Jay and went along with what Jay was doing. Yet, in those rare moments when Silent Bob spoke, he usually said something profound (Mall Rats not included). And not only did he say something profound and wise, the fact that he never spoke gave it more impact.  

When I speak, I am not to use my words to hurt anyone"that has been a recurring theme. I am not allow to correct people, or make fun of people, or deride or jeer people or tell jokes at the expense of others (which is hard for me because I am really good at it), and I should evolve to the point where I am only talking because someone asked me to say something, or to venture an opinion or criticism. When I do talk, what I say should be brief, and I should say it in a gentle way.

And in keeping with this step of humility, I’m going to keep this very short.

Things I can do today:

1) ONLY SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID. If it doesn’t need to be said, or if the only reason
I’m saying it is because I want to, or to blow off steam, I need to keep quiet.

2) WHEN SOMETHING HAS TO BE SAID, SAY IT CALMLY AND GENTLY. I don’t yell. I don’t adopt a frustrated tone. I choose my words carefully, speaking with frankness but also with compassion.

3) SAY SOMETHING TO ADD TO THE DISCUSSION, NOT DETRACT FROM IT, SIDETRACK IT, OR TAKE IT OVER.

4) LISTEN MORE THAN TALK. Good speech requires good listening. Listen more, talk less.

5) BE CANDID AND HONEST (BUT NOT BRUTALLY SO).