Unaltered Voices

I was standing in my neighborhood, mid-conversation, when it happened. Accusations were being made casually, loosely, the kind of words people throw out without understanding how far they travel. I found myself explaining how what was being said could affect livelihoods, reputations, and futures. How words don’t just hover in the air, they land. And suddenly, I froze. Because out of nowhere, that tired old saying surfaced in my mind: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I stood there, realizing how many times I had repeated that lie. Words do hurt. They hurt your money. They hurt your reputation. They hurt your standing in a community. They hurt your emotional safety. They hurt your self-esteem. They distort your vision of yourself and the world. Words spoken recklessly can wound. Words spoken with intent can destroy. Entire families are fractured by words. Entire lives are shaped by them. Even words that are whispered instead of shouted. Even words fra...