A big part of remaking our world is using words that respect and recognize what’s important to people — both in private and in public.

Words can be used in two ways: to tear down people and dismiss alternatives; or to build people up, and encourage good things to get done together. If you put those two types of words on a balance today it would crash down onto the negative side.

Partisan bickering and marketing hype have become the norm, raining down on us every day as part of the news, airwaves and the Internet — striving to divide us, escalate our differences, and convince us with half-truths. There is constant and confusing yelling, while calm and considered public discussion is left unheard or dismissed in twisted sound bites. 

Words now have less meaning, and everyone is feeling it, with companies, politicians and media pundits bending our ears repeatedly for their own benefit, not ours. That part is finally becoming clear: that the yelling is rarely for the benefit of the regular person.

One way that people deal with the bickering is to pick a side, and keep their heads down. Sometimes that lets us ignore the yelling, as we struggle with daily challenges and hope that things work out.

Unfortunately, the stakes keep getting higher, with escalating financial inequality, division and decisions threatening to edge more people out of work and into poverty.

So it’s time for us to start using positive words, especially in public — between each other — between friends, between coworkers, between the people you interact with every day. Let people know, and let others hear, that you care about people.

Getting back to focusing on people has to start somewhere, and that’s with us — regular people.

Hard-working and considerate people have a proven track record for helping each other out of tough times. Our shared values of health, family, community, fairness and employment are our shared strengths, and our way out of the global crisis created by those using the dual swords of money and power on people.

We all know how to be kind and considerate. Let’s show the people around us that they matter.

			Words to live by:
	Respect	Friends Intentional Purposeful	Caring Opportunity	Active Together	Participation
	Choices	Build Community	Neighbours Listening Family Mutual respect	Healthy	Sharing
	Listening	Appreciating Be an example	Role Model Encouragement   Agent of change	Include Viewpoints	Singing Start something
	Recognizing   Make a difference   Stand up for people	Decisions Relationships Network Local Projects	People matter most	Alternatives Thankful Art Creative   Boycott Choosing	Hope   Help Employment Self-organized
	New ideas Change	Including Develop Communicate	Compassion Community	Fairness	New balance Outdoors

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