During the hour with my therapist last week we talked about the power negative thinking, the relationship and equation of thoughts triggering feelings which then trigger physical reactions. She explained that she wanted to teach me the method of tackling them - awareness of the negative thinking, challenging the thinking and finally, working to form a new perspective. Somewhere in the conversation she said something along the lines of "because that's all thoughts are, just words, they're not always fact, just words."
I don't doubt the eventual efficacy of what she has taught me but those two words of 'just words' has stayed with me.
Just words.
Indeed, you could say the world we live in is made of 'just words'.
You can exchange words for currency, like we do here on Steemit, the content here are just words or include words in one way or another. And using more words, you can go on to exchange the currency for something else and then something else, another link in the endless exchange cycle.
You can take over a country with words, look at our politicians and heads of state.
With words, you can create the most touching piece of music, literature, cinema, play, art or otherwise that can inspire the change of direction in the life of another.
With words, a government can license logging companies to destroy the habitat for thousands of lives - human, animal and insect who have made the rainforest their home for thousands of years.
With the word "war", countless lives can be devastated and brought to an end - think about it, as you go through your day to day what are the normal, mundane animate and inanimate things that make up your life and have that taken away from you, 'you' as an individual is not even remotely part of the equation, 'you' are just part of a population, a faceless part of a nation, one-in-however-many-millions.
With words, scientists communicate and absorb the research of others to develop the cure for cancer or the next iteration in chemical warfare.
With the words "it's not you, it's me" you can bring relief or careless heartbreak to another.
Words can make or destroy a career, a relationship, a life.
With words you can take someone to cloud 9, bringing to them an electrifying tingle from the roots of the hairs on their head and all the way down their spine in pure joy.
With words you can offer a salve to the soul and bring someone back from the brink when they're submerged in grief or despair.
With words, you can stand up on stage and amplify your words through a microphone, pouring inspiration and physically make a change in the thoughts and minds of some, if not all of the audience. For good or for bad.
Words can frighten, harass, intimidate and destroy.
Words can soothe, inspire, embolden and create.
Words have power that we often overlook, take for granted or are careless with, all words, even 'just words'.