When I was a lad, I was told that a mans word is his bond. It wasn't until I had kids that I realised the significance of this. When I told my girls that I was going to do something and it never happened, for whatever reason, the look of hurt on their faces broke my heart. From that moment, if I gave my word to my kids, or anyone else for that matter, it happened.
Giving your word is not like a promise, because we all know, promises are made to be broken, whereas your word cannot...or should not be given lightly. If I tell someone that I am going to meet them somewhere, for instance, I will be there 10 mins early, so there is no excuse for traffic hold ups or any other delays. What really gets me these days, is when talking to people and they doubt your word, even on some really basic observations. If I am supposed to say, "I promise what I said is true..." every time I'm talking, obviously that person is not worth my time talking to !
The sad thing is...as much as I stand by my word, in today's society, it seems to be a lost practice. All I hear are excuses for why a person breaks their word. A handshake to seal your word was once all you needed for a contract...no what ifs, or maybes...it was your word.
I know I'm dreaming and society is going to get worse as far as "word" goes, and gentlemen are a dying breed..blah,blah,blah..but if we are to have any hope of improving society, don't we have to go back to where a mans word is his bond.?
All hope isn't lost Bob. There are some young men coming through who know that a man is only as good as his word :)
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