Talk is cheap. Or so the saying goes. Perhaps we should consider just how costly it is. In this week’s memory verse, Jesus gives us a preview of this….
But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Matthew 5:37
…but in case we were not clear on it, here’s His bottom-line:
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
Matthew 12:36-37
Prime Mover
In psychology, there has been much debate about priming. This is the term for subtle cues and reminders which influence behaviour.
A previous memory verse stated…
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Proverbs 18:21
A University of Zurich study called ”Bad Boys: The Effect of Criminal Identity on Dishonesty” has weighed in on this debate. In it, prisoners in a maximum security prison were told to flip coins in private and report how many times the coin came up “heads”.
All things being equal, they should have reported a rate approximating 50%.
Here’s the twist, the more “heads” they got, the more money they received.
Here’s the next twist: before reporting, half the prisoners were asked “What were you convicted for?” and the other half “How many hours per week do you watch television on average?”
Those who were asked about their conviction (ie: the ones primed about their criminality) reported flipping “heads” 66% of the time whilst those who were merely asked about their TV habits reported flipping “heads” 60% of the time. This was closer to the 56% reported “heads” rate when regular citizens were asked to do the same thing.
Subtle but influential.
The Power of the Tongue
Proverbs 22:6
Now, imagine repeatedly saying to a child that they are “stupid” and “good for nothing” and just what that primes them for.
Now realise what is being said by culture to the generations – you are cosmic accidents and you should expect behaviour of yourselves no higher than that of animals. In fact, in our political climate, unnatural behaviours are even actively encouraged in the younger generations.
Life and Death indeed.
Being a Twit on Twitter
Here’s a final thought: Technology is a great enabler but what if it enables you to get somewhere you should not go quicker? For a contemporary object lesson in how talk isn’t cheap, take a look at this fascinating analysis.
