Wisdom From the Mother Tongue
Yoruba provides a
rich seam of wisdom that, even as a second language, I have mined to find gems
that sparkle and light my path. “Ibi eré ni à ńmọ òótọ́ ọ̀rọ̀” is a
saying that has meant so much to me; it has made friends and broken
relationships. “It is at play that the truth spills out.” That would be a
liberal translation, and I'll stick with it.
The Romans arrived at
much the same conclusion by a different route. “In vino veritas,” they
said, “in wine, there is truth.” Where the Yoruba sage observed the loosened
tongue at play, the Latin observer found it at the bottom of a cup. Two
cultures, two settings, one shared recognition: the heart, given any opening,
will speak its mind.
What reinforces that
viewpoint comes from the words of Jesus Christ in the Bible: “A good man out of
the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the
evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the
heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke
6:45)
A Watch Over the Lips
The unguarded
expression, spoken without thought or consideration, regardless of disposition,
is one reason why we need a watch on our lips. So says the Psalmist, in a
prayer asking for divine assistance in controlling one's speech, preventing
hasty, sinful, or hurtful words, and acting as a guard over what is spoken. (Psalms 141:3)
It takes only a
moment of lacking restraint, and everything comes crumbling down: the
dismissing of issues consequential to others, simply because there is no
background to their stories beyond what surfaces at the point of interaction.
Yet everyone has both
the prerogative and the right to be unburdened and unbothered by external
issues. In some cases, silence trumps expression, but that requires a modicum
of discipline.
The Many Faces of
Unguarded Speech
Wine and play are
only two of the settings where the heart slips its leash. Anger is another: the
row that begins over a small grievance and ends with a cruelty no apology can
quite retrieve. Tiredness is a quieter cousin, where exhaustion strips away the
patience that ordinarily holds the tongue in check. Grief, too, can sharpen
words into instruments that wound bystanders who happened only to be nearby.
There is also the
casual cruelty of group settings, where a joke at someone's expense earns
laughter, and the laughter encourages the next, sharper jibe. Social media has
industrialised this dynamic; the keyboard is a kind of wine in itself, lowering
inhibitions whilst removing the face that might otherwise have stayed our hand.
Then there are
moments of fear, jealousy, or wounded pride, when the words we reach for are
not the ones we believe but the ones that will hurt fastest. And let us not
forget the seemingly innocent slip during gossip, where a confidence shared in
trust becomes currency in another conversation entirely.
Seven Words, One
Covenant
"I don't have
the energy for this." Those are seven words that broke a covenant, though
one can be certain they would be used to castigate me as truculent, impossible,
and recalcitrant. My relevance is transactional rather than in recognition of
my own journey or story. I have my own issues, but everyone needs to see
themselves in the mirror, too.
Going back to the
verse I quoted earlier, an interpretation would suggest that a person's words
reflect their inner character, thoughts, motivations, beliefs, and emotions.
The "heart" represents the core of one's being, and what is stored
inside inevitably spills out through speech.
The Fool in the Play
As a student of
myself, and sometimes of others, I have learnt a lesson about the heart once
again. It does not take drink alone to loosen the tongue; play, anger, fatigue,
grief, indifference, or just plain spite are enough.
You had better be
attentive to what is being said before you become the fool in the play where
you are also the lead.