the mightier word

I've always tried to live my life on the belief that my actions will speak louder than words. I'm really not one of many spoken words and I truly believe in the golden rule. Sometimes I think I'm even a bit of a pushover, having a hard time saying 'no'.

And then I realized real life is all just playground politics and that humans never outgrow the social mentality of grade schoolers. I try to teach my students to act compassionately and to make wise choices and yet all around me I feel despair at adults acting worse than my kids.

Now I know actions hold no impact. It's whoever can speak the loudest to the most people. We pry and scurry around for gossip like scavenging rats and we spread rumours and filth faster than the plague. Suddenly the reputation on which you've always based your actions on can be crumbled with just one loud word.

I don't speak loud enough in return.

And I don't feel I should have to otherwise I'm just another rat scurrying around.