Speech is free. Says so in the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment, remember?

But reckless, vicious, soulless words are not without cost. We all pay for them in valuable coin, spending our self-respect, our compassion, our souls — even, at times, our lives — for three minutes and 19 seconds worth of self-expression.

My grandma knew about the first amendment and the Bill of Rights. But she also knew how powerful words can be. For my brother and me, speech was NOT free; speech was a privilege and a responsibility. When Grandma said, “Watch your mouth!” we understood that every inappropriate word carried a price tag.

Things seem to be different in the 21st century. Children mouth obscenities and their parents call it play. Teenagers spit out hatred of self and others; sociologists call it gangsta rap. Adults produce images of depravity and debauchery; critics call it call social commentary.

But we are shocked by unexpected and random outbursts of crime and immorality. We wonder why our children are killing each other. We are puzzled by the lack of civility and common courtesy in daily discourse.

Grandma knew that words can shape character, that language can touch hearts, that what we say becomes what we are.

We do live in a country where speech is free. Yeah. Free from restraint. Free of respect for each other. Free of responsibility. But that freedom ain’t free.

We all pay for it. Isn’t the price too high?

[tags]freedom, obscenity, First Amendment[/tags]