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Cipher of Life - Chapter = The Sword by Cinique' Scott
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Rated "PG13" by the Author.
This chapter "The Sword" has a short story fused into it as some light reading. The story is relevant to the point being made. Read and enjoy.
The Sword
"He who does not know how to be silent will not know how to speak." (Ausonius)
We all own a weapon more dangerous than an atomic bomb. It’s like a reckless sword cutting into the hearts of your enemies, but mostly hurting the people you hold dear. This untamed sword can cut without regard if we don’t learn to sheath it, and ‘it’ being…your mouth. "No sword bites so fiercly as an evil tongue." (Sir Philip Sidney) You can build cities and destroy nations with spoken words. You can likewise build and destroy lives with these same cantankerous devices. Not literally of course, but figuratively…let me explain. Some will lead and some will follow, however, I believe that we all lead and that we all follow at some point or another. The impact words can have is best explained by saying that we all have influence on others at some defined juncture in our everyday lives. The following fictional example called, “Plan Ahead,” shows the unconscious effect that just a few simple words can have on any receptive individual.
The fire raged on as the onlookers wailed. We were all wondering how such a tragedy could happen. My stomach rumbled as the stench of charred bodies was starting to overwhelm me. A single discarded cigarette was reported to have initiated this blaze of death. I stood there befuddled in front of the building and counted my blessings. I was glad to have been one of the few that escaped. I could only think of the advice that man gave me that day.
I was walking down tenth-avenue on a gloomy day when I spotted a man exiting his car. I noticed his lights were on so I spoke up,
“Hey buddy, your lights are on!”
He turned to the Lincoln, looked at me and smiled; then he reached in the door and turned them off. Greatfully, he matched my pace and said,
“Hold up a minute. I just wanted to thank you for your help. Do you realize how hard it is to find decent human being in this day and age? I planned on being heah for a while and this little mishap woulda made my day really nasty if my caboose didn’t start when I got back. So boom, in return for your hos-pi-ta-wit-e I would like to give you some advice.”
I stopped and turned toward the man with a curious look on my face. He sported a seemingly expensive Italian suit with all the accessories. His voice carried an upstate accent, “What’s ya name buddy?”
“Steven,” I responded.
“Steven, heah’s some advice that has helped me in the past and I hope it does the same for you. Always plan ahead.” I looked at him with a wondering face, and then proceeded to tell him thank you and be on my way, but he cut me off by finishing,
“Let me give you an example of what I mean,” he went on.
“Say you wanted to rob a bank. I know, I know…God forbid you ever had to do that…but let’s just say that you did. We’ll say that ya cased the joint for about a month at least, and had some wise guys on hand. What do you think the most impo-ant thing would be?” I hesitated at first because the subject of his explanation threw me off, I never expected him to talk about something corrupt or illegal. Then hesitantly, I mumbled,
“I guess the most important thing is to try not to kill anyone in the process.” “Shoowa…” he said.
“That’s impo-ant too, but not most impo-ant. The most impo-ant thing is that you plan ahead.” He lays his arm around my shoulder and starts us walking again as he continues. “This is what I mean buddy. Let’s say you cased the joint for about one month or so. You knew when the dough came to the building and when it left. You knew how many people handled the dough and at what times. You knew who woyked there and what days were the most vulnerable. You would need blueprints of the place so that you knew everything about their security system, entrances, and exits, etc. you get the idea. You could even go inside and get a visual of where the cameras are among other things. But with doing all of this, the most impo-ant thing of all is the way out. Any idiot with a gun can rob a bank but it takes a skilled genius to get away wit it. Let’s also say that while casing the joint ya find an underground tunnel that led right under the bank. Unlikely I know but just for the lesson’s sake imagine with me. You could easily pick an early morning time before a lot of customers get there. Bust in wearing ski masks, disable all the cameras, and hold the employees and patrons hostage. Move everyone, except key money extracting individuals, toward the front door as a human shield’s against snipers. You would also wanna cover their eyes so they cant see. Now, you just hold up in the bank collecting money until the cops come. You want the cops to come it facilitates your escape. Before the cops come the plan is to make sure you blow your tunnel hole. Doing this before they come is very impo-ant.
Now this may sound a little crazy to you but let me explain how this will woik. I see that look on your face, but don’t worry it’ll all woik out…watch. You’ve planned ahead so you already have your escape orchestrated with some ATV’s waiting further down the corridor. Orchestrated, I like that word; it’s my new word for the day. Anyway… no one knows who you are because of the masks and the disabled cameras, so while those hostages are facing the front door, all of your crew leaves except for one. Thirty minutes or so after your crew leaves, you instruct the hostages to count out loud to fifty by ones and then they can start to exit. The last person in your crew is to take off all their gear and act like a hostage from that point on. If the last person waits long enough they all can get away with a large sum. Granted no one seen him or her change behind their backs. By having one person inside, while the rest escaped, gave them enough time to get away with the dough. Then the cops will be goose-chasing someone through a tunnel that have been long gone.”
I hesitated for a moment kind of shocked by what this man just told me. I then said, “Thanks for the advice.”
“No problem.” he says.
I walked on to my destination unaware of my surroundings, thinking about what just transpired. It was too much for me to believe, but it did happen.
I never thought about that man until now. I never realized how much he taught me in ten minutes. Now that I am standing outside this establishment I realize that he was right. You should always plan ahead. If I hadn’t planned an alternate way out of that restaurant I would surly be dead. I had planned an alternate way out of every building I went since the day I spoke with that man. Three years later, and his advice helped save my life. I never did get that mans name, but I’m sure that he was involved in some sort of organized crime or something. I could have been killed along with the other seventeen people that were trampled, burned, and died tonight. I effectively searched for another exit when I got inside the restaurant so I knew three different ways out. Everyone else only knew of the exit that they came in through. So as you can guess, all of the people in the restaurant where trying to get out of one door. I stand here today as a witness to the value of even simple words from unorthodox places; because this message came from a man I hardly knew. He gave me the weirdest advice, which proved to save my life and may save yours so I pass it on to you…always “Plan Ahead.”
Words are powerful and can be interpreted and exchanged in millions of ways. You never know who is listening, or what you will say to someone that they will keep with them forever. In this story the oddest compilation of letters and words, proved to save one man’s life. And it was simply based off of one powerful statement of love, “Hey buddy, your lights are on!”
When you lead, this means that someone is listening and waiting on you to lead them, to tell them the best way to go, trusting in you to lead them by verbally motivating them, teaching them, and comforting them. This process moves people and can cause a city to be built or destroyed, but it first begins with your words. If this series of actions is done properly, some will even follow you blindly into death. "The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others." (Hasidic Saying)
Everything you have ever done or accomplished has been dictated at some point by the spoken or written word. Your parents have verbally explained to you the difference between right and wrong. They literally taught you thousands of things by speaking into your life. At times they verbally praised you and at other times they scolded you. Your parents either built your self esteem up, or they tore it down, all by what they said or didn’t say.
Even the tone of your voice can have adverse effects on people and situations. Even though I shouldn’t, I will assume that you already know that if you get loud with someone that gets loud with you, what that outcome will be. But if you would speak calmly with someone that seems infuriated, you will see that person began to regain their couth. This is an amazing thing to see, if you can master speaking calmly in a volatile situation. If you add a careful choice of words to this calm, you can quickly turn fury into peace. If you listen with a wholehearted attitude, that person may transform from being defensive to becoming almost totally candid. You may even inadvertently teach them a better way to handle disagreements. Then when they calmly address their feelings and needs, it’ll be an added benefit for you. Because after hearing their concerns you’ll discover your own faults and be in a better position to change yourself in relation to them or in totality. "Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.” (William James) This is a win-win situation overall. You’ll find that if you transform yourself, the people and things around you will transform.
"The character of a man is known from his conversations." (Menander) Words are weaved and mixed in billions of possible statements and answers. You must choose wisely what you say and whom you say it to, because maturity comes in different sizes. You can never predict answers but your goal is to try to alleviate any negative responses to your concerns. It’s like a dance to which you and your partner are not accustomed. Your ultimate goal is to avoid stepping on each other’s toes, all while moving in unison. A healthy communication process will sustain the dance and keep you and your partner dancing for years to come. But when the communication break’s down, toes are trampled on and tempers flare, then of course the rest is almost predictable.
The wrong words can cause so many problems and have done so in the past. Today email and instant messenger are popular means of communication, but are notorious for misinterpretation. If you can, type plainly and don’t use slang when your points need to be understood and not misunderstood. How easy is it to misinterpret, “That girl is fast.” Statements like these, if left unexplained, can cause turmoil. I personally enjoy this means of communication because it is quick and you have fairly easy access to deliver messages to people at all times of day. There is no limit to the things we as humans can do when we communicate efficiently. To get a pretty good example of the power of efficient communication, just look at the story of the “Tower of Babel,” Genesis 11:1-9, where the story tells of all people working together to achieve the common goal of building a massive building to reach the heavens. God acknowledged that when people communicate effectively with each other there is no limit to what they could do, so he made everyone speak different languages. You may not believe as I believe, but even this world was spoken into existence. And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” Genesis 1:3
Everything God created he spoke into existence. To me, this is a testament to how powerful words can be. In the Good Book, God’s servant King Solomon, one of the wisest and richest kings of all, mentions that life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those that love the tongue will eat the fruit it produces. Proverbs 18:21
The tongue is the only thing that we as humans cannot tame. It is a wild beast full of venom ready to inject its payload in the hearts of others. It is as a sword ready to penetrate the innocent. Only with love can this beast can be kept caged or the sword be kept sheathed. The sword is a soldier’s best friend and when you are trained and cultivated for using your tongue as an asset, love will be evident in your heart. Your tongue should be used to help and encourage others; to build cities rather than destroy them. You can use it to lead people to life and not lead them blindly to death. Keep sweet words on your lips, and use your voice for the edification of others. Let love flow from your soul and off your tongue. When the sweetness of good and loving words flows from your lips; you’ll be regarded as a great soldier with a noble sword, and live in the stories passed on through the generations about this love you spoke of.
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