If the words you spoke were etched onto your skin, would you still say them? If everyone in the world could hear or see what you say to people, would people still like you? More importantly would you still like you?

I am a human and I make countless mistakes. I judge people too quickly when really, my flaws are innumerable. And sometimes I catch myself silently judging someone, not having any clue what that person has dealt with that has led them to this point, right now, sitting next to me on the train, standing next to me on the subway, sitting across from me in the library, etc. So who am I to judge and who am I to speak about someone who I've never met, who I will probably never know? No one. I am no one.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." But they will. It's a thing that our parents probably never anticipated. Us living in a society where someone's words could shatter your spirit, could shake you down to your core, could allow you to forget your own values and become someone you aren't just so people will stop. See, the problem with words is that they never actually disappear. You can delete a text, but you already read it. The damage is already done. Someone can throw a rock at you and it'll hurt but eventually the bruise will fade, you'll stay away from the person who hit you and move on with your life.

Words are powerful. Words have changed entire societies. Words were able to persuade an entire group of people to kill others just because of their religious beliefs, the color of their skin, or even kill themselves. That holds some power...have you ever heard of the time Hitler threw stones at his army to get them more motivated to kill the Jews? No. Because he used words. How did Trump become president? He used words to sway just enough of the country to vote for him. Words hold weight.

So why do we throw words at people who are just trying to live their lives? You can use the excuse that bullied people bully people but if that's the case, the cycle will never end and there is actually no hope. Is there really a need to tell the girl that used to be skinny that she really let herself go or that she should be on a diet? Do you even know her? Is there really a need to call the gay couple in your class "fags" just because you don't like their choice?

If the words you spoke to people on a daily basis, appeared on your skin, what would people say about you? Would they say that you were a kind person who went above and beyond to help others, or would they say that you were a horrible person, who tore people down to feel better about your own self?