To Eat One’s Words

A student recently told me that he read the world was going to end in two weeks. A comet was going to align with Earth creating a catastrophic earthquake and we would cease to exist. My first thought was, “darn, I haven’t finished the MET”. I then began to reflect on the power of words and their meaning and interpretation. Words have the power to create new worlds or destroy them. With the words my student read, his reality became one of fear and doubt as an impending apocalypse neared.

In the radio broadcast, “From Papyrus to Cyberspace”, James O’Donnell discusses our need to understand who we are and the reality we live in in order to make rational decisions. We are prone to an outlook of doom when problems arise. It is therefore our responsibility to apply our wisdom and knowledge to make sense of the world around us.

Two weeks later, my student learned the true meaning of how us humans ‘eat our words’ when our predictions do not materialize. The photo I have chosen says just that.

I have been teaching English at a men’s college in the United Arab Emirates for the past 3.5 years. BC is still my home and I return every summer to enjoy a few clouds and scattered showers. I am taking my 6th and 7th courses this semester which includes ETEC 512. I still can’t believe I am halfway there. And I am loving every minute of it.

O’Donnell, J. (1999). From Payrus to Cyberspace. [Radio broadcast]. Cambridge Forum.