[Campaign] What Kinds of Words Do the Teens Say?
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November 14, 2010 |
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 It is easy to find students in school uniforms on buses, subways and trains. We can often overhear their conversations. Much of what they say is not easily understood and may cause us to feel uncomfortable. Many of these students, even very young students, speak in slang and use abusive exclamatory expressions.
Middle and high School students drenched in abusive words
A current affairs TV show in Korea broadcast the reality of students being drenched in abusive vocabulary. It really startled many viewers. For example, when 4 female high school students shared their conversation about actors, actresses, and their friends, they used 15 different terms of abuse 248 times. After watching himself on screen having spoken 103 obscenities in one day, a male 9th grade student immediately spat out one more word of abuse! Elementary schools are not exempt from this trend of being totally immersed in abusive language. A survey on the 200 elementary children reports that 96.6% of them use abusive language often, and use 72.2% of their abusive vocabulary without even knowing the meanings of the words.
Many teens habitually use abusive words in their daily lives as part of their normal language. They don't use abusive words solely to aggravate another person. They use abusive language whether they feel good or bad. Some of them compete in using abusive words in "contests' or 'battles'. There are teens who use abusive vocabulary in their schools and in the community, but do not use such language at home.
By the way, students who refrain from using abusive language at school are ostracized by their friends. Many students are getting drenched in slang and offensive language through movies and dramas that are watched without any filter. They write evil comments on the Internet without feeling guilty at all. All these happen by the schemes of the forces of darkness including Lucifer. Satan is dispersing evil words quickly via the Internet, disconnecting family members in communication, hindering people from living as a normal and social person, and creating a sub-culture of darkness.
 
Vocabulary marks a standard of good education and character
It is recorded in Matthew 15:18, "But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man." One's words are the expression of his inner being. His personality is revealed in his words, and his words are the standard of good education and character. No matter how beautiful and elegant a man's outer appearance, he cannot be deemed a gentleman if his words are rough and abusive.
Words have the power over death and life. Good words have life-giving power since God made the heavens and the earth by His Word. On the other hand, evil words have destructive and negative power. This has been attested to through scientific experimentation. When we say to flowers and plants, "I love you," "Thank you" and "I am happy!" their leaves and petals prosper. But, when we say to them, "I don't like you" "I hate you" and "Go away!" they are weakened and grow very slowly.
It is the same with water. In his book Messages from Water, a Japanese author and entrepreneur Masaru Emoto announced that if human speech or thoughts are directed at water droplets as they are becoming frozen, the images of the resulting water crystals will be beautiful or ugly depending upon whether the words or thoughts were positive or negative.
It is the same with humans. When a child grows being told many abusive words by his friends, his body aches, frets and shows aggressiveness and depression. It results from demyelination, the loss of the myelin sheath protecting the cerebral nerves linking the left brain and the right brain. It hinders the consolidation of the left brain and the right brain and breaks the unity of emotion and reason. If this happens to the child, his emotions become unstable and unsociable so that he isolates himself from others and his school grade goes down. Violent speech stimulates the limbic system, a set of brain structures which seemingly support a variety of functions including emotions, behavior, long term memory, and olfaction. Stimulation may then cause people to become violent and aggressive.
Since they are our hope and future, it is a great pity that we should see many young men becoming drenched in the sub-culture of abusive language of insult and humiliation. It is currently considered as a 'tough duty' to change those young men imbued with abusiveness and get them to use good words for just one day. But it will be a different story if we try our best to use good words that give life and bring blessing from at home. Here are the seven guidelines for good and beautiful words.
First, let's speak positive words.
Second, let's profess our faith in everything.
Third, let's think once again whether it is really necessary to be spoken.
Fourth, there is no better medicine than the words of encouragement and praise.
Fifth, the words of love and warmth give rise to more love.
Sixth, let's pray for our family members with our lips.
Seventh, let's give counseling only after praying and being supervised by the Holy Spirit.
'Speaking with Mutual Respect Campaign' at the Sunday Students' School
Unlike most occidental languages, Korean is a complex language that can designate position in the social hierarchy through the language itself. The "Speaking with Mutual Respect" deals with this situation. (Respectfully to elder male student) Sister Kyung-ah asks, "Elder Brother Kwangsup, 'What do you think about my opinion?' (Elder student responds with equal respect), 'Sister, I agree with your opinion!'" Young people in Sunday Students' School classes, under the guidance of Pastor Timothy Taehan Kim, are trying to use more polite and respectful expressions when speaking to each other. In mid October, the Sunday Students' School announced that each member was to use a right and proper manner of speech in the Lord when speaking to each other with the objective of being able to come forth as God's children who grow in the instructions of the Lord. They are supposed to call each other 'Brother' or 'Sister' instead of calling one another by their personal names to preclude over familiarity and becoming to intimate in manner of speech. Even teachers are supposed to address students in a manner of respect. After this 'Speaking with Mutual Respect Campaign' began, many students say, "We should now be able to use better words when speaking to each other and show respect to each other even after the campaign is over." The Sunday Students' School participants asked the men's mission and women's mission members to address young students in a mutually respectful manner.
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Manmin News 
