An obvious sentence to say would be that: Words are powerful.  Words can make or break nearly anything.  Think of Martin Luther King Jr.  and his speech on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.  He spoke for 17 minutes, and his speech became regarded as one of the finest speeches in the history of America. You don’t need to have 17 minutes of writing to make an impact.  An impact can be felt by simply using two words.  There is a plethora of two-word sentences that are powerful.  “I do.”  “Try again.” “Be kind.” “Have faith.” “Carpe Diem.” “Love you.”  The list can go on.

I was reading an article on a website called “Bored Panda” that I frequent.  The authors of one article went to Reddit’s subreddit called “r/AskReddit” and asked, ‘What is a scary, unsettling fact about you?’  Right now, there are over 24,000 comments on that thread.  The authors then took a handful of them and posted it to Bored Panda, titling the article “45 Of the Most Unsettling Secrets People Have Revealed About Themselves in This Online Thread”.  One that they selected was from Reddit User “SensualEnema” who spoke of their failing mental health.  They have PTSD, have no motivations to do basic functions like cleaning or cook, have emotional attacks even when looking into their husband’s eyes.  She ended the post with the statement “Sorry for the wall of text. I’m just very tired and wanted to holler my problems into the Internet void.”

In the modern age of anonymity online, it’s impossible to tell what is fake and what is real. I don’t believe that this person is posting to get sympathy and is trying to generally express herself. The post was heartbreaking to say the least. I feel for everyone out there who has been in their own situations. It is my experience that when you hit your lowest, you will know it and hopefully find the motivation to start working your way out.  What got me writing about this section of the article over the other facts posted is not SensualEnema’s position, but it was a comment left by a Bored Panda community member by the name of “jonnamomma85” when he simply wrote: “I’m Listening.”

I’m listening.  Two words that can mean the difference.  When a Toastmasters club meets, one thing that can be always counted on is they are there to listen. I believe it’s the greatest skill each Toastmaster walks away with. When you give a speech, when you answer a table topics question, when you are evaluating, or when you are giving an invocation, everyone listens.  Toastmasters evaluates, helps correct the filler words like ‘um’ and ‘ah’, and encourages adding the word of the day to expand your vocabulary.  If you have any problems, they will be there to hear you out.  If you celebrate a milestone, Toastmasters are there to applause.  If you cry, Toastmasters is there with the tissue and a warm hug to comfort you.

While I dare not compare my past to SensualEnema’s or any other person’s situation, I’ve experienced my own low points and I’m lucky to have a great network of friends and family who have helped pull me up. This included when I joined Toastmasters in 2021. I go into each meeting knowing if I have a problem, I can speak my mind because my fellow Toastmasters who are there with me or on Zoom say with their eyes and their hearts: “I’m Listening.”

-Adam Belaire, DL5