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Austerity of Speech

Posted by Sita Chaitanya on September 6, 2010 at 1:58am
One of the yogic ideals is the practice of austerity of speech. This means speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others. This is a lot easier said than done and a lot of questions of morality can be discussed in trying to determine what exactly makes up austerity of speech. Remembering the importance of not speaking words that might be agitating to someone else goes a long way towards understanding life from someone else's point of view and in being compassionate.

There is a website called Speak Kind Words http://www.speakkindwords.com that is trying to spread this message. They say:

"We live in a verbally abusive society. Our minds are bombarded with cursing and angry tones, with sarcasm and profanity. Often the people whom we love the most are the ones who must bear the brunt of our anger and frustration. Our words are powerful and they have a profound effect on those upon whom they fall. We have the power to tear someone down in an instant with our tongue, and we do it every day without thinking about the consequences."

The first quote on their page is from Mother Teresa and it says "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

Thanks to the people of this site for spreading this wonderful message.
Tags: austerity, of, speech
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