Love one another, as I have loved you.

I may as well admit from the beginning of this post that I am what some might call a dreamer. I have had my head in books since I can remember. Words have carved their way into my heart. I believe the power of words can do as much damage as any violent action. It is just not a visible tangible damage, it is silent internal damage. Words can build a person up or destroy them, similarly it can make or break a society. Our access to words has exponentially grown in the last few years. We have at the click of a button all the words we can ever dream of, and more. We are saturated in the world's words, the world's opinions. We use these words in a detached environment. Where we cannot even see the momentary wince or flicker of pain as we accuse, defame or insult. We launch fire with a machine of gun of words, repeatedly hitting our mark over and over again; without even a glimpse of a conscience. For example we have recently seen the eccentric Elon Musk accuse a man of pedophilia. A man that he has never even exchanged words with let alone met. We go from this to the less eccentric repeated abuse of politicians ,to the maybe justified accusations that should be made in private. Then dealt with in private rather than having a whole world who does not hope to even know the facts weigh in. These are impulsive word,s said without thought, without knowledge of the facts, they are words exchanged in hate. While others are tearing the world to apart with bombs and violence, we are tearing the fabric of society apart with words. This new verbal diarrhea, explodes, covering our world with hatred.  The verbal climate has reached such a boiling point that we no longer think twice about speaking in  such a manner person now either. It is like we have become immune to the pain we inflict.

 We can no longer discuss and disagree and still sit around a table as friends. When we disagree, it virulent and personal. Disagreement is a reason to wound, maim and even kill. Yes, words can and do kill just not by the hand of the person wielding the sword.

What makes anyone want to lead a public life in the present I can not determine. It only takes one words from someone, who maybe you have had a disagreement and nothing more has passed between you. Just one word and the world stops, it doesn't pause to gather it's breath, it collapses around you. Guilty or innocent you are left in immovable rubble. You will never hold your head high ever again because what has been said is with you forever. It is a brand, it marks you. Never more so than for those in our line of sight as politicians and celebrities. You can take a good person and destroy them with the words you utter. Words that are inescapable, unalterable and permanent. They can be genuine, they can be false, but once scattered on social media, the world itself is judge and jury. Legal processes be damned.The words may not even be accusations of  sexual abuse, they may just be a judge of character, they may just be a slur or a twisting of words you have used or a misunderstood expression of political/religious opinions you hold.

As a result we have become either fragile or monstrous human beings. Some cowering behind their duvets afraid to say or do anything in case it is the wrong thing and all the fires of hell descend upon them within seconds. Others so determined in their personal rightness that they will not pause until they have obliterated all who disagree with them. We should be able to have a discussion without making it personal, without assuming the other party must be guilty of being a horrible person. This poison permeates all of social media, journalism and even at the dispatches box in parliament. We can not discuss an issue, we must defame the person at all cost, it is the only way we can prove we are right.

I can not help but think of God sitting there with his head in his hands, with the same sense of exasperation I feel when my son decides to tell me the same Dr Who issue he is having for the fiftieth time in one day. For over 2,000 years he has laid an example for us of how to treat with those we disagree with. We invite them to the table, we share our food, we share our love, we share our ideas and learn to love one another. Enrich one another, educate one another, challenge on another. We can exact a change on the world but not through public slinging matches fueled by anonymous hatred. We must be the change. The way in which we live our lives, can be the change. If we all exacted a change in our lives, if we all went out and treated people the way Jesus did, our world would be at once transformed. There is a price tag to our words, we can either exact an expensive price. The price of lives, friendship and society. Or we can lay down our lives to be a cheap price> It maybe a more challenging price. After all, it is harder to demonstrate good through actions than it is to hurl righteous indignation. God paid the ultimate price tag for us, is not time that we learnt from the life that was given for us. We may leave the world bruised, battered and maybe even bleeding but we will have lived right. We will have shown our faith, we will have shared hope and we will have above all we will have loved one another.

  " And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest if these is love"

1 Corinthains 13:13