I was in a meeting today, I commented to someone that the speaker was saying many words, yet very few of them actually had meaning. This got me thinking, how many words do I speak aloud every day that are absolutely meaningless?
I deal with the public. People come and go from my office all day long. Invariably I spend my time saying things like “Thank you for doing business with us” and “I’m so glad you came in today”. An unfortunately small percentage of the time do those words bear any weight at all. I am trying to be genuine. And, I certainly don’t mean to imply that it isn’t appropriate to be polite or exchange pleasantries. But, I also can’t tell you that I’m entirely full of joy to see each an every person I interact with daily.
Maybe this theory extends further. Even at home I say things that don’t mean anything. When I ask “how was your day?”, the answer rarely makes me stop and listen. I think it has just become a way to greet each other at the end of the work day.
A set of metal types (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Polite words like “thank you” and “please” are often used as examples for children, not expressed with any real reverence for the mannerisms that the words should convey.
So, I do all of this talking (and I do a LOT of talking), but how often am I actually saying something? Is it enough that by taking the time to gently speak my empty words that I am conveying a message to you at all? Maybe it is. Maybe by showing you that of all of the people in the world that I could be saying nothing at all to, I chose to speak to you.
I hope I’m not the only one who speaks empty words. Tell me how you use words to say nothing.
