Volume 65 December 2026-January 2026 : Reality Hub

 

When a child is born, there are many moments to look forward to; the baby`s first steps…..the baby`s first chuckle and first tooth……then the grand moment….( drum roll please) ……..when the child utters his/her first word! It could be anything! From ‘mama` to the many words formed with the use of many consonants and vowels which to many sounds like gibberish, but somehow a mother always knows what to make out of it….! Now that is when it all begins….!

Children grow up being bullied because they are small, fat, too beautiful, sensitive, too light or dark or too tall in comparison to most kids their age. See the seemingly ‘unpleasant` things are exaggerated and the good things are painted so ugly, more so that the very essence of what was initially beautiful is tainted, stolen and ripped apart…WITH WORDS! So how on earth are you and I supposed to be OURSELVES, if being US can never be good enough!

Schools are not the only place where this brutality is executed: our homes, our workplaces, and society have accepted a few of these lethal utterances. “Lethal utterances” seem to have replaced the accustomed “hello” and goodbye expressions …” not to forget the “I missed you” and the “It`s good to see you lexis. Now all we ever hear is “wa bo o ntse mokima jang, bona hela mokgweleo oo ko morago…kante wena ga o none? wa bo o ntse montsho fela, metsi a mahatshe ga a go tlhatswa?”. Bear in mind that those who know me will confirm the fact that I have a healthy and not to mention good sense of humor. At the same time I never fail to remember that there is a thin line between funny and not-so-funny!...a very thin line!!!

When you want to be funny or decide that you want to deliberately poke fun at someone else`s perceived imperfections please be reminded that you are not as perfect as you think you are. You have no right to say anything that will in any way make anyone feel less of themselves just to build yourself up. Heela! You don`t know what insecurities lie hidden in every heart! You don`t know what the next person is going through, or has been through! You don`t know that your words can be lethal! The kind of poison that will break a person, choke them and cut the only thread that`s keeping them hopeful…..you don`t know! So don`t even go there!

A lot of people have been through brutal upbringings where their self image lay tattered and torn like an old rug. How do you expect that woman or man to be the best that they can be in the future when their reflection in the mirror is now an eyesore? Now I`m not trying to victimize anyone; it`s just so appalling how someone could say such things and expect you to smile and be okay with that! Really! We need to move away from this.

I`m sure you are probably thinking I`m just being overly dramatic about this and that it`s been happening for such a long time we are used to it…its normal and just okay! Well, its not okay! Do you know why? Because something that is okay will not force a 12 year old to hide away and cry at the thought of going to school because the kids think he`s too tall! Is it still okay dear reader...that a girl starves herself at lunch break because she`s called “porky”...Oh no! I am not done…. that colleague at work who is called “stupid” and other names behind his or her back because he/she has one or two peculiarities.

Words should build up walls of hope and security…not walls of gloom and insecurity…when the latter happens and we deem it “OKAY” then we are raising up a generation of insecure, low esteemed people who will shake, break..and ultimately crumple in hopelessness. And where is the future in that? We can`t continue giving liberty to “lethal utterances” which paralyze the very society which is habituated to them.

I pray to God that in an effort to realize the vision of being a compassionate and caring nation we do not only build houses and donate food hampers and clothing to the needy. I pray that we will search our hearts and remember that it is not the material things that will foster a spirit of independence…but something deeper-THE WORD. a word will not only in due course put food on the table, but it will build up a human being ready to take on the world and serve the nation with all that he/she can be. If our compassion and care is only expressed with gestures and doesn`t in any way come out our mouth…then I`m sorry to say we were never compassionate or caring to start with. Like the bible says out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh….there`s no greater truth!

A lot of the time we take for granted the power of words and think that they are merely a way of communication. The implication of what we say is seldom given much thought. In Proverbs 18 the bible gives reference to the power of the tongue, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof……

So, next time you decide to say something think of it for a moment. If your words don`t add fruit to anyone`s life, don`t say them. It`s not always about you; but about how another person may feel. When you steal a compliment by throwing an ugly remark you are not only paralyzing the next person, but you are also sharpening your own tongue to be a lethal weapon. Everything that you have spoken and shall ever speak will bear seed in people`s lives…good seed will bear good fruit and bad seed will bear thorns and weeds. You have the power to reverse the “leina lebe seromo” notion…..you have the power in your tongue…all you have to do is think positively about others,accept uniqueness...Love people enough to..Tame you tongue! Lets Job: 6:24 be our prayer: Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred……” END

Buy Online Now!