Keep Your Word
"The corruption of man is followed by the corruption of language...In due time, the fraud is manifest, and words lose all power to stimulate the understanding or the affections." –Ralph Waldo Emerson
The third covenant of the Visionmaker's Code is Keep Your Word.
In Visionmaking, words are seen as sacred gifts, because they are a symbolic container for meaning. "We speak words," goes the old saying, "...but we hear meanings." When our words and actions are heart-felt they carry a generative impact that cannot be overstated.
That is why a Visionmaker takes their word seriously and does not give it lightly.
It wasn't very long ago, just one generation back, that your word was your bond. When you gave your word, it was serious business. You kept your promises as a matter of honor.
Your word and your family name were inextricably linked. Failure to keep your word, failure to honor this bond of trust, brought disgrace upon your family name.
How far we have drifted from this traditional practice of integrity! And how quickly that drift has occurred. Lying, or spinning the truth, like cheating the system, has become "normal."
A Visionmaker is not a fraud. Standing for the integrity of speech is the Visionmaker's way to stay connected to the Four-Chambered Heart, to the backbone of character, and to timeless principles that govern action and uphold trust.
Keep Your Word.
© Patrick O’Neill 2009. All rights reserved.