KEEPING SAFE: Stop saying you are in LOCKDOWN, by Tosin Akinola

There’s a high school in Chicago that requires students to pass a certain amount of units before they can graduate* and if they didn’t pass then, rather than getting the grade, “FAIL AND REPEAT,” they get the grade “NOT YET.” Now, while the former may indicate that a student who doesn’t pass is a failure and is not good enough, the latter subtly suggests to the student that he is on a learning curve and merely needs to put in more effort to pass without hurting the ego of the student. How thoughtful and impactful!

Why this story? Our words and language are utterly powerful and can positively or negatively impart our lives because whatever you profess to yourself, your subconscious mind is always listening and ready to take accordingly. So, stop saying you are LOCKED DOWN because this may mean that the government is treating you unfairly and you would begin to feel as though you are in prison and in the end, you feel psychologically down which is not needed at this time. You are not in prison. You can go out to get groceries and can as well take a walk in the neighborhood to get fresh air. Rather, say that you are “KEEPING SAFE” which simply means that you have voluntarily taken a decision to protect yourself from harm.

But it still doesn’t end there. Learn to use the right language and words when you communicate at this sensitive period because your words have power. Sticks and stones can break your bones. But words can shatter your heart because life and death lies in the power of the tongue. So according to Lao Tzu, *”beware of your words, for they become actions. Beware for your actions, for they become your habits. Beware of your habits, for they become your character. Beware of your character, for it becomes your destiny.

By Tosin Akinola / Fahiltv