Something To Say

Something to Say

I’d been invited to an industry awards ceremony—a gathering for those whose business it is to promote the businesses of others. Before the hardware was dispensed, a half dozen or so people mounted the rotating stage (an American Ninja Warrior feat in itself) to make various announcements. Then one fellow, dressed in decidedly noncocktail attire from head to foot, mounted the stage and began a monologue I still can’t quite describe. His existential rambling included a boat (I think) and lots of stars. He lost me within seconds, and everyone else, too. No one knew what he was saying or why. The two emcees of the evening stood helplessly by the rotating stage as the man went on about his own interior journey, unaware of the confusion of the audience or the incoherence of his words.

Not everyone deserves a platform, I thought in that moment. Not everyone has something worthwhile to say. Not everyone who is miked and onstage has considered the responsibility of that particular space and time. We live in an age when microphones and well-lit stages confer importance, if not honor. An age when platforms are built to serve a person and his or her agenda, rather than demanding a person fit to occupy them. I suspect we have it backward. Perhaps we should consider not the window dressing of communication but the meaning of the words themselves and the reliability of the one offering them. Perhaps we should weigh them carefully and not be fooled by the sophistication of their context.

I am sure I have spoken, and may still speak, when I really have nothing to say. I am equally certain that some occasion has required speech and I have kept silent. I have spoken and written empty words when I might have used life-giving words instead if I had only taken more time to consider the moment and the needs of those reading or listening. And I’m sure I’ve stood on a platform that added weight to words of mine when their substance was less than weighty.

It’s best to speak only when we truly have something to say.

The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.

Proverbs 15:28