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When words lose meaning

There are times when words can be uttered so frequently, that they lose their impact. I find swear words to be a perfect example of this - the f-bomb, as it's known, in particular. If a person regularly uses said word, and even jokingly tells people to "f-off" at times, the impact won't be nearly as great when he or she tells a person in a serious tone to "f-off."

There are also times when words can lose their meaning due to having been said time and again, but without the actions necessary to back up the claim. The first two words that come to mind here are "promise" and "love."

The word "promise" gets parents, spouses, and politicians into trouble a great deal at times. A promise may sound lovely at first, but if the person continually doesn't follow through with their promises, the next time they utter the "p" word, it won't carry nearly as much weight as it did initially, and the audience's skepticism will grow with each and every broken promise. This is why you often times see presidential approval ratings and his/her base's enthusiasm level decrease in the president's second term. At the start of the first term, the president has four years with which to work and fulfill his/her promises. The base is fired up due to the election results, and are enthusiastic and optimistic about the term. However, if that president gets elected to a second term, reality soon dawns on the base, and the people in general, that not all of the promises which were made initially will be kept.

The word "love" is another prime example of this. It's very difficult for some to tell another they "love" them for the first time. They worry, "Is it too soon?" and "Will they freak out?" However, if all goes well, the two people tell each other that they love one another, and things continue to go well, all will be good. On the other side of the coin, though, if after uttering the "L" word, a person stops showing the other that they love them, sooner or later, that person won't believe it when they're told that the other loves them. After saying, "I love you" to someone and having that returned, it can get to be easier and easier to utter that line. But, if after a while, the "I love you" precedes a string of missed phone calls (no return calls), cancelled dates, forgotten special dates, a sense of being neglected, etc., the "I love you" will start to feel less genuine.

This is why I rarely ever make promises. I would be able to keep most of them, I believe, but nobody is perfect, and odd situations can come about to prevent a person from following through on said promise. I also like to believe if (and when) I follow through with what I said I was going to do on a regular basis, that other person won't need to hear the "p" word to feel assured. The trust will have been raised to such an extent, that my simply saying, "I'll try my best to make this work," will be just as good as a promise.

As for love, when I come forward and tell another I love them, I sincerely try to consistently back up those words with actions which illustrate just how heartfelt and accurate they are.

My advice is not to take anyone's trust or love for granted. The words "promise" and "love" may sound nice and work to a certain point, but unless they're backed up through actions, they'll eventually lose their meaning, and the other's trust and love will be lost in the end.

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