The saying goes “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” I believe, however, that words can hurt people just as much as sticks or stones.

In fact, words are even more dangerous than physical tools because physical wounds can be mended and healed, but the emotional wounds created by words cannot.

Words leave a lasting impression. I’m sure we all have a favorite quote, words that have inspired us in some way.

Some phrases have this effect on millions of people, like Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” or the words of the Declaration of Independence. Words have started ended wars.

Words are a much more powerful weapon than we realize. In the right hands, words can capture the hearts of hundreds of people. Likewise in the wrong hands, words can also break the heart of one person.

We’ve all experienced the power of words. We have been brought to tears by a touching story, laughed at a funny anecdote, or been angered or hurt by someone’s criticism.

When we think of bullying, we typically think of a grade school classroom, but bullying is a real problem even as adults.

Emotional abuse is just as real as physical abuse. It’s something that many people encounter on a daily basis but choose to ignore.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among people age 18-24, the same age as most college students. People who are bullied are five times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than people who are not.

I think that we need to reevaluate the way we use our words. It doesn’t take much to be polite to someone,- to say hello or smile. It does, however, take effort to be mean to someone- to make rude remarks or degrade someone.

It’s important to consider that everyone experiences emotions differently. Some people may not think that being bullied is a big deal, but to the person being bullied it can be a very serious problem.

Everyone has a different story and a different home. We do not know the challenges of each person we meet, but we can be sure that everyone faces their own challenges. I think we need to be mindful of that in all of our interpersonal relationships.

With every encounter, we have the opportunity to make someone’s day a little better or a little worse. I think there are more bullies now than ever because of social networking sites.

I see people say horrible things in Internet feuds. I see personal feuds made worse with status updates. I see people talk down to each other, attack each other and pick on each other every day. Most of the YouTube comments I see are negative or derogatory, and the language is often explicit.

The content is full of hate and spite. Anonymity has made people bolder. Some people will say anything knowing that no one knows who they are.

People go out of their way to point out how much they do not like one thing or another.

What if we exerted the same effort into being nice?

What if people put in the same work to give others compliments or just smile more?

Then the world might be a very different place.