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Editorial, Spring 2003 issue of PAGES:
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"Looking Around Me"
The cartoon character was asking nosey questions of his aging father and getting “OK” and “No” and “Really” in reply. Finally, the son bursts out, “I’m a very good listener, and you’re wasting my talents!” Of course, cartoons are for smiles — belly laughs, if they are funny enough.
But this little exchange resonated with the topic of the Sunday school class I am co-teaching just now using the book by Jerry Camery-Hoggatt, GRAPEVINE: The Spirituality of Gossip. Why study this subject? The author makes clear he intends the word to mean ordinary conversation or “talk.” He insists the work of the church cannot be done without it. Then he illustrates and pulls apart for examination some intriguing ideas.
We use talk to include or to exclude. We profoundly influence our children (and now our grandchildren!) with family conversation, table talk — a sobering study of its own! As we learn to “talk,” we also learn when, how, what to say — and even to whom! This author calls this becoming bilingual!
Class discussion includes some emotion as we together admit how misuses of talk have cut and severely bruised us at times. We are also admitting that talking is a necessary part of healing the hurt. As we remember a favorite teacher — or as we become mentors ourselves, we discover again the treasure of ordinary good talk.
It takes an enormous amount of energy to block out pain and insult — one can get sick doing that. And of all things, this dam will more than likely burst someday and then everyone gets wounded!
In the Bible, James strikes hard at the “unbridled tongue” — says clearly that our “religion” is worthless (1:26) if we don’t keep that tongue in control. So why don’t we all just keep quiet?
Because that is not the solution! The old form of this word is “godsibb” which meant exchange of news and ideas in a community. We hear the word now and think “malicious talk” — what a different meaning! Something else to ponder — “Gospel” also stems from this word — and “that is the gospel truth.” What a fun thing is language!
We need each other for this control job. When I offend with my “talk,” you need to tell me. I need to admit it, confess it, learn from it, go on. Scripture does more than condemn loose, irresponsible talk; it calls us to encourage, to disciple, to love and to “pass the peace” to others. It strikes me God had plenty of reasons to add the lively tongue to our creation.
Pages editorial (Spring 2003)
— Helen L. Lapp
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