Impeccable and faultless speech and expression seem lost or at least commonly misplaced in today’s world. The environment of today is overflowing with exaggerated advertising and exploitive actions, which take unfair and unethical advantage of a person.

A person’s personal beliefs have become the target for those who do not believe the same type of beliefs. We need to slow down a bit, arrive at a pause and become sincere about the space of one’s own nature. If we begin to think kindly, and speak clearly with a gentle message, ideally our words will become the reflection of a harmonious system. Wisdom teaches us that everything matters, every action, every word, every wish and each piece of wreckage matters. Nothing is meaningless.

When we speak and put forth words we confirm to the world and ourselves that what we have as thoughts is important. Words help give tangible and definite form to thoughts, concepts and priorities. They illustrate and express your ideas and opinions. Your words have power; with them you can communicate in a conscious way, or you can be careless and use them to create trouble for yourself, as well as others.

Words, either spoken or written are particularly compelling because they reflect an illusion of self and non-self to all others. With each one used we are communicating the confirmation that you are here. You exist in a sporadically dense territorial cluster.

If and when we move towards impeccable speech, again with active written or spoken words, we should reflect inner wisdom, a clear vision of compassion, respect and clarity. Words articulated with artful deception are attaining a goal, void of conflict or hidden agendas. They deliver a calm simplicity that is wondrous. Sadly, in so many circumstances this is lost and not the case.

Socrates, a Greek philosopher credited as the founder of Western philosophy, believed that writing was not an effective means of communicating knowledge. To him, face-to-face communication was the only way one person could transmit knowledge. Written words lack the capacity to respond to their reader in the way that a philosopher can with their debater.

Socrates also proclaimed that it is not possible to pass on true knowledge via writing, but only through spoken discourse. He believed that the written word couldn’t defend itself as well as if it were to be spoken. Therefore, his conclusions were that speaking is more of a noble activity than writing and gives the listener a sense of trust. Debaters can actively interact with each other and refine their arguments through the progression of the dialectic, in ways that a written text is simply unable to do.

Socrates said, “The misuse of language induces evil in the soul.” 

To misuse language is to use it the way politicians and advertisers do, for profit, without taking responsibility for what the words mean. When language is used as a means to gain power or make money, it often becomes lie.

Socrates had a cautious apprehension about how a philosopher should utilize the art of writing. One concern was that such an activity would weaken people’s memories. This draws proven parallels today with our increasing dependence on modern technology, which similarly threatens to impede our intellectual abilities.

With all this being voiced, Socrates' spoken theory about the voice of the spoken word did not communicate the loudest in the end. One of the most famous trials in history has been seen as a miscarriage of justice. A founding father of Western thought and speech was made to face trumped-up charges invented by his ignorant and prejudiced fellow citizens.

Socrates was found guilty of “impiety” and “corrupting the young,” and sentenced to death. He was then required to carry out his own execution by consuming a potion of the poisonous plant hemlock.

To this day politicians and historians still use the trial to demonstrate how descending into mob rule can rot democracy. It is widely agreed that Greece, rid itself of one of its greatest thinkers because he was a perceived threat to the political status quo.

Instead of fleeing to save his skin, Socrates accepted the verdict, claiming “he owed it to the city under whose laws he had been raised to honor to the letter.”  There is no denying his status as an intellectual hero, but the idea that Socrates was not guilty, yet still executed by mob rule, is horrendous.

As for myself, I believe impeccable and faultless speech can be delivered in any fashion you choose. To keep it pure, with this before mention elements, it cannot be bastardized and it must hold the truth.

The first agreement in, The Four Agreements, a book based

on ancient Toltec wisdom by Don Miguel Ruiz is, ‘Be Impeccable With Your Word.’ Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others.  Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

The first stage of this suggestion is to speak with integrity and say only what you mean. This refers to a sense of wholeness, of saying entirely what we mean and saying it in the context of doing the right thing.

The second stage is to avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. This can be a hard task due to the programming we have allowed to be digested.

I don’t consider myself a gossip, but sometimes I stumble and find myself sharing news from a third-party perspective. I try to make it less bitter by paraphrasing what I heard, or otherwise attempting to qualify the story’s accuracy, but this is still being less than impeccable when writing and speaking.

It’s quite the challenge to stop yourself before you speak and ask yourself if what you are about to say serves the higher good of all concerned, as well as contains wholeness and perfection. It’s an ongoing challenge to ask yourself if you know the full truth of a story before speaking of it. Question yourself about what is motivating you to tell this story

We have immense power in our words and their accompanying thoughts, so use this power in the direction of honesty without contempt. To me, this is the actual interpretation of ‘Be Impeccable With Your Word.’ It seems a nonchalant concept without the middle layers or the practical actions mentioned before, but it is a serious declaration.  - dbA

You can find more of the unfiltered insight and the Art of Dan Abernathy at www.contributechaos.com.