The influence of words
John E. Peterson
Thursday, May 3, 2007
YOU NEVER can tell what influence your words may have. Most of them probably have no influence. Sometimes, however, some of your words may come out at just the right time. Or to the right people — or just one person. Or under the right circumstances. Written or spoken, you just can never tell what influence your words may have.
I will give you some illustrations of how this happens, if I have my way. I am not positive, of course, that my words really had influence in all of these instances — or even in any of them — but they might have. So be it. Here are my stories.
Our K-177 highway has now been labeled a National Scenic Byway. Sometime before that labeling actually happened, I wrote one of these columns about the magnificence of K-177. I suggested that it should be designated a scenic byway similar to that beautiful route in the Appalachian Mountains. I do not know that my words had anything to do with getting it done. Probably not, but I Like to think they did.
When Carrol Koch closed down his full-service gas station at Commercial and Eleventh, in one of those columns, I wrote about how we much needed a full-service station here in Emporia. As it turned out, Brodie Cline took over that same facility and it is Brodie’s Full Service Station today. I doubt if my words had anything to do with that, but I enjoy thinking they might have.
Now to a couple of stories where my words definitely had some influence. The first one was when I was still back at the University of Missouri years ago.
For a couple of years, I had a strong conviction that the university ought to make a certain change. That was over 40 years ago and I do not remember today what that change was. But I spoke about it and wrote about it many times. And I was on a good many committees and groups and in enough positions so that my words got spread around rather well.
After a couple of years of my speaking and writing my thoughts, the change was made. The Chancellor announced it at a big university-wide faculty meeting. In making the announcement, he actually used my words. I was startled, but flattered, to hear him using my words, as I sat there at the meeting. Though I cannot remember what the change was, I have never forgotten that incident of hearing him speak my words.
We know that your words often have influence when teaching. They should. One of my favorite examples went like this. I was just stepping out of my office here on campus when a big, young, country boy I had in class a couple of years before came down the hall. We stood there in the doorway and chatted.
Soon, I happened to look down and noticed that he was barefooted. Wow, I said to him. It is only about 22 degrees outdoors and you are in bare feet. Why is that?
He told me that he had never forgotten what I had told them, back in my class, about fungi in the feet. I had said that the heavy shoes and boots so many wear are like moist chambers. They stimulate the growth of fungi in the feet and tend to bring on athletes feet.
He had always remembered that, he said. Therefore, when he came into a building, mostly on campus, he often took off his shoes and bared his feet. He believed my words. He thought it did help to keep his feet healthy.
As I said, your words often have influence when teaching. Of course, that is good because that is partly what teaching is all about. Its purpose is to get your students to think and to give them ideas. I have had many experiences where former students have come to me and told me about something they remembered, something I had said to them earlier.
But your words not only have influence in teaching. The words of all of us in all walks of life may have influence. And their influence is not always beneficial. Sometimes you will get criticism from your words. Consequently, it is reasonable to give some consideration to what you speak and write. That is particularly true if the words will be heard or read by a variety of people.
I often think about this when I write these columns. Will my words be interesting? Am I making sense? Will my words have a good influence on the readers? Will the ideas which my words are going to generate in some minds be of any value? Or will they just confuse and bother those minds out there?
Enough about the influence of our words. Perhaps I got carried away too far on my comments on the subject. On the other hand, perhaps I have made some of you think about the effect your words may have on those who hear or read them. That is what would happen, if I had my way.
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
Are you bragging or complaining?
May 3, 2007 at 3:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )