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YES!
Words Can Hurt
by
Robert C. Taylor
Here's the most damaging thing you can do to another person.
A
YOUNGSTER
comes
running in through the
front door after a pro–
ductive day at school.
"Mom, look what I made at
school," he chi rps cheerfully. In
his hand he clutches a curious
piece of crayon art only a parent
could fully appreciate.
Mom, who had only shortly
returned f rom a bout with the
supermarket crowds, shelves anoth–
er package.
"Mom, look what I made for
you!" Little Jimmy tugs on his
mother's hem in a feeble attempt to
gain her attention.
"Can ' t you see T'm busy?" she
blurts impatiently. "Go show it to
your brother!' '
Jimmy slowly walks away.
Deflated and discouraged by his
mother's anger and lack of interest,
he questions his own abilities. His
confidence has been shattered .
The Plight of Adults, Too
All too often children have their
confidence carelessly shattered
through the indifference or harsh–
ness of parents, or by the cruel
chiding of peers. But this plight is
not confined to children. Anyone
can be the victim.
A wife, feeling frazzled and frus–
trated because of a lack of appre–
ciation, questions her own abilities
and competence. "Why t ry?" she
ponders.
Feelings of personal worth and
value are so fragile, yet so often
overlooked. Jn a society that is pre–
occupied with self-love, the emo–
tional needs of others are frequent–
ly ignored. Perhaps
you
have been
24
stifled and stunted by the belittling
remarks and actions of others, or
have done the same to others!
Confidence, once it has been
broken, is one of the most difficult
qualities to reconstruct. Many adults
live with negative self-images that
were acqu ired during childhood.
The resulting self-doubt and lack of
confidence impairs success through–
out life.
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Confidence is characterized by an
appreciation of the value and worth
of a human being. Severe lack of this
quality can produce depression and
despondency. Suicide is a by-prod–
uct of amplified self-doubt. Under–
standing of personal worth, whether
in a child or in an adult, promotes
achievement and success.
Numerous experiments have
been conducted to illustrate the