Proverbs 15: 1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”
By ALESHA CADET
Tribune Features Reporter
acadet@tribunemedia.net
CHOOSING your words wisely is not just good for a specific situation, but it is beneficial to a person’s everyday life.
These locals shared examples and scriptures about the power of walking away from a negative situation, in the form of positive words and actions.
For instance, in Proverbs 15: 1, it says: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
One Bahamian said the proverb speaks for itself.
“You don’t realise people always treat you how you react to them and at the end of the day they are looking for a reaction from you. You have some cases where people are having a bad day at work for example and they take it out on you unexpectedly. All you have to say is one thing to them and they flip the script. You can’t give them the same negativity they give to you, you just have to brush it off and walk away.”
Katrina Fox said she can go on and on about the proverb because it applies to so many situations in a person’s everyday life.
“You can be having the best day of your life and one word or action from someone can mess that up for you, if it is said or done with a negative intention. You will probably go off on them without even thinking, because you feel as if you are defending or protecting yourself. But the truth is, this is where thinking before you act comes into play. Feeding off a person’s negativity is only giving them the fuel they need to continuously hit you where it hurts. I believe once you are at peace with yourself, you become more peaceful with dealing with difficult situations like this,” said Katrina.
For Christina Knowles, people do not always live by the bible’s teachings, but this is a proverb that she would often teach to her kids because walking away from problems is the best thing to do.
“My kids are in school, they go to church and they engage in activities with their peers. This would mean they are away from me and interacting with others. Yes I would want them to protect themselves if they felt threatened, but I always want them to be smart about their actions. When you answer negativity with positivity, that is the best pay back there is,” said Christina.
Savannah Johnson said the easiest way to soothe a heated argument is through love and gentleness. She said this is a principle that she puts into play and it works for her every time.
“It makes no sense fuelling fire or responding in a harsh way to someone during an argument. It pays best to respond to someone in love and kindness, because love will get the job done. Love is like throwing water on a fire and it works,” said Savannah.
Jason Thomas said: “I agree with the proverb and it is words of wisdom because it is human nature to flare up, because I think we like to dominate. However, I think most of us have had the experience that if we resorted to less aggressive ways of trying to get what we want, we are more likely to succeed. People respond better to people that show sensitivity and the way they deal with others.”
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