Don Miguel Ruiz in his book The Four Agreements advises us to make impeccable use of The Word. He explains that impeccable actually means without sin. Therefore, when we humans form words, he asks that we do so without sin, for our own benefit and mankind’s. In particular, he points to gossip as an evil we can clearly do without.
I can not help but reflect on the world I inhabit, specifically during my workday, and how saturated it is with misuse of The Word. Ruiz claims that we perform black magic when we use hurtful words. He points out that we even do this to the one’s we love most. That we are conditioned to do so by our environment, and that only a concentrated effort can turn things around.
Once impeccable use of The Word becomes habitual, suggests Ruiz, positive life changes become the norm, not the exception. Given that I am a writer, a.k.a. “wordsmith,” Ruiz’s insight means a great deal to me. It’s not only my responsibility as a human being to form my words in a responsible manner, but as a writer it is also a professional obligation, and one I hope to someday soon master.
