words

Sunday, February 10, 2008 T: 16 48

When I was young, I told everyone that I’ll rear dogs and cats in future. I was unhappy with my mother for not allowing me then. She mentioned that she also did have such a desire when she was young, but grew out of it by then. It was not exactly something I would have liked to hear then.

Now that I am older, I realized I was not as certain anymore, aware of the baggage that I would have to carry should I make that decision. Will I make it happy? Will I be willing to clean up after him? Do I have the time to care for him? All those declarations, proclamations that I have made when I was younger was propelled by nothing except foolishness. I think I might have to eat up my words.

Man is so fallible. We would always say things with almost absolute conviction, and that’s the end of it. Words meant nothing. They are free after all. No one is there to record it down. You don’t get penalized for saying things that you mean. Instead, if it is nice to hear, you will get rewarded. I tried to make it a habit of never saying yes. I use words like ‘probably’, ‘maybe’, ‘I think’. I don’t really like going back on my word. I mean in the end how can we be certain, how can we be sure? But when we hear those words, we see indecisiveness in the user.

We promise, freely sometimes, only to say sorry later. After all, apologies are free. Promises are free. It’s ironic sometimes when you hear how people use the word ‘promise’. “I promise to go to the mall with you.” “I promise to take you to the zoo.” Without using that word, will that statement be just a lie? Even if with that word, I think people will know it’s just a word, a sound made by our vocal chords. That’s about it.

That’s why paper is so important in this world. We have contracts, agreements, and wills drawn up and signed so that we can be held accountable. Words by mouth can’t do that. That said, I wonder if marriage vows in the end mean anything at all, or rather they are just part a ritual which would make the ceremony more complete and touching. Frankly speaking, I think what’s more important is the signing of documents during the ceremony, not really the vows. It’s paper that binds two people together. How pathetic is that?

I guess this is how the world works. I’m not complaining.

So much for ‘let your yes be a yes, and a no be a no’… But the subject here is Man, homo sapiens, not God.