Lesson 9: Language Versus Actions

Many people are more concerned with the language people use than the actions they take.
This is a quote from Pat Ryan, teacher and playwright, from Mankato Minnesota.

Language has probably been the singular greatest contributor to  mankind’s harms to humanity.
With language people can lie, deceive, manipulate and abuse other people, something that cannot be done through actions easily. Despite what a person says, their actions ultimately show their true intends and interests.

Unfortunately, because of certain kinds of cultural training, many people have learned to focused on the words others use and the way they express their statements rather than on what they are actually saying. In the midwest, for instance, politeness is considered a virtue and many people will accept whatever another person says, despite its truthfulness, if they say it in nice terms with the intent to make the listener feel good. This has been labeled as “Minnesota Nice”, at least in Minnesota. On the other hand, despite how truthful an individual may be, if they speak in direct terms without utmost concern about how their statements may affect the listeners, they tend to be rejected as rude or aggressive because of their language and their message goes unheard.

When we focus on the language people use and not their actions, we set the stage for the dishonesty between people.