Column: “Words that Leverage People”

Mr. Takao Ogiya
Director General of APIC
Mr. Takao Ogiya

My day begins with my wife saying to me, “Wake up, it’s six already!”
Between my home and the local bus stop, I pass by a police station. Whenever I see a policeofficer standing guard, I say “good morning” to him. The officer returns the greeting with asmile. Such pleasant exchanges in the morning start the day on a good note, as if to promisethat a good day is in store.
It is often said that words serve three functions. One is the communication of information,
another is the communication of emotion or intent, and the third is moving people’s hearts. In
most cases, however, words are uttered not for just one of these functions, but in an intricate
combination of the three.
Let me cite an example. On an autumn afternoon at around threeo’clock, an inpatient in a wheelchair goes out in a hospital courtyard
accompanied by a nurse. The patient asks, “I wonder what the timeis.” If the nurse replies, “exactly three, I would say,” the communication between the two is in no way successful. Silence will ensue, atleast for a while. What the patient really wants to convey, though
not uttered directly, is the sentiment that “it feels slightly chilly.” Anexperienced nurse may have understood what was implied and responded by saying something like, “shall we return to the ward, orwould you like to use a blanket?” Such a remark would move thepatient’s heart, convincing him/her that “the nurse cares about me,”fostering a relationship of trust between the two.
The traditional Japanese expression kotodama (lit., “word spirit”)refers to the belief that uttered words have ramifications for reallife occurrences. In other words, pleasant words will lead to good
events, and unpleasant words to bad ones.
Chapter 1 verse 1 of the Gospel According to John in the New
Testament opens with the following remark: “In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word wasGod.” Verse 4 of the same chapter continues, “In Him was Life.”
The awareness of the gravity of words apparently runs acrossall humankind, regardless of ethnicity, geographic region or history. Now, perhaps more than ever, we need to pay more attention to our words.
Here in Japan, verbal bullying is escalating. Expressions that hurt others emotionally ordemean their dignity are more common, and seemingly said with a certain nonchalance. The
originator may deny any intention of harm, but to the recipient, the act is nothing but verbal
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violence. Hamono kotoba (lit., “knife words”) is an expression that refers to such speech. “Knifewords” can even drive people into taking their own lives.
By contrast, there are cases wherein someone’s life is profoundly affected by a simple compliment. Such words are referred to as inochi kotoba (lit., “life words”).
The world-renowned Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt met Ludwig van
Beethoven just once, when the former was a boy. The encounter took place in 1823, whenLiszt was 12 years old and Beethoven was 53. Liszt was studying piano in Vienna, and gavea performance in front of Beethoven. Upon listening to Liszt’s piano, Beethoven, whose hearing was already suffering at the time, reputedly hugged Liszt and said, “Your music has aliving soul.” These words greatly inspired the young pianist, who went on to create numerous
piano masterpieces. His ambitious oeuvre even includes transcriptions of Beethoven symphonies for solo piano, a formidable challenge even for two pianos. The compliments by Beethoven
most likely expanded Liszt’s outlook enormously, giving him both courage and energy. Thisis a prime example of “life words.”
I invite you to use “life words,” and suggest that we begin by exchanging morning greetings. My hope is that we will discard “knife words” and use “life words” as much as possible.
If all of us could use “life words” that care for the feelings of others and maximize their potential, we could forgive, encourage and love each other— thereby developing richer human relationships and filling the entire world with peace.

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