Tiny Interventions: Blog Post 1

        We have all heard the old adage, "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me". However, we all know that, in a world plagued by bullying and intolerance, the rhyme sounds hallow. Words are powerful. With a single sentence, a speaker can provide encouragement or dismay to another and can change the course of someone's day. If harsh words can drive a person to the very edge of sorrow, how much more could saying something positive do to bring them back and uplift them?  

          Two of my close friends and I taught a young ladies' bible class regarding the importance of their faith, attitude, and treatment of others as they enter college. We asked them to remember that others are more important than themselves, and, in a world where that no longer seems to be true to most people, it is so important to remember so that we can make a difference. My two friends did an excellent job talking to these incoming college students so I wanted to show them how much I appreciated their words of encouragement and help. I wrote them a note which I left their house when I was over there for another study. In the note, I thanked them for their words and for their hearts that always seek to love other people. I told them how much of an encouragement they are to everyone around them. I think (or hope) at least that it made a difference in their world. They told me that they really appreciated it. By reminding and, hopefully, persuading them that their actions had an impact, I hope to motivate them to keep encouraging and helping others. Actions such as this could even start something of a pay-it-forward chain as their actions inspire others who then go on to do the same. 

         Things as small as a smile, a visit to a sick friend, flowers to a sad one, or a listening ear can make a huge difference in individual lives. We need people who impact the world, but we also need everyday individuals who are always making a difference because those daily encouragements truly can change someone's world. By persuading people that they are valuable and that life is worth living when you help other people, we can change hearts to love other people more rather than focusing on physical differences like skin color. We are all people, and we need a value change to remind people of that.  A value change is described by Inch and Tudor in Critical Thinking and Communication as a "process in which a value becomes more and more widely diffused throughout a society until virtually all its members adhere to it" (93). Wouldn't it be beautiful if everyone in the United States adhered to a value that deemed other people as more important than themselves? Small acts of persuasion can start such a process that disseminates the value of love and benevolence throughout society and the world. Though such a change will never be realized in this dark and selfish world, it can certainly improve the world of the individuals that it touches which can motivate people to dream bigger, smile wider, love deeper, and work harder. It all begins with individuals and the power to persuade.