As far back as I can remember, I’ve always chosen my words with care. We have all been victims of verbal abuse at one point or another in our lives, and some of us make this traumatic and all too often gratuitous assault on us our life mission — to turn that blunt, barbaric instrument of spiritual violation into a scalpel to be used with precision, if at all used if absolutely necessary.
As a kid, I was aware, and weary of, bullies. After all, what would a child’s first years in school be like without them to keep our misguided innocence and naivety in check ? And although those bullies may not have been aware of it themselves, the fact of the matter is that they, too, were innocent and naive, just like their peers whom they preyed on, and were oblivious to the true nature of the world, and the role they themselves, and in spite of themselves, played in it. If one were to equate a school playground to the world’s oceanic depths, then the bullies would be sharks and orcas, always lurking and roaming the ocean’s depths to keep us cuttlefish in check — to force us to develop evasive and survival skills.
But then, there are those verbal predators who are not instrumental to our growth and resilience in any way. They do not have any apparent role in the world if not to break our spirit. And often, they do not strike with ‘brute force’, but know exactly which spot to hit with an acupuncturist’s accuracy. They are never vulgar, and if I consider them to be verbal predators of the worst kind, it is precisely because they are never discourteous to you. Quite the contrary. They are often charming, charismatic people around whom you feel safe to lower your guard. You never feel that ‘sting’ until it’s too late.
— C.S. 12.06.2019
swasdiburi 