Freedom of speech is very much a useful tool in our society today. We have the right to freedom of speech.

The first amendment gives us the right to speak freely, written or orally without being censored or limited. But of course, there is an exception to every rule, and that is we shouldn’t gear our speech in a hateful manner in which it attacks a person’s social or ethnic groups.

Repeat, we shouldn’t. No matter what the Constitution upholds, people are going to say what they want, when they want to say it.

People are going to hold rallies and protests, and guess what, the authorities are letting them carry on, as usual. Even a flag can be burned. And all this freedom of speech is coming from what’s in our heart and what we believe, whether it was taught as a child or learned as an adult.

In any given situation, there are many factors that must be considered on how we verbally relate or respond to one another. We must consider if our voices of opinion are civil or rude; whether we conduct it in a private or public setting; or how it may affect the people receiving it.

But we must not leave out this tidbit — more importantly, be mindful of how you relate your message to the person receiving it. Or, in layman’s terms, it’s not what we say, but how we say it.

Letting each other know what’s on our minds is necessary. It may be good or sometimes we may come off as being obnoxious, but it’s necessary.

You would think that relating messages to one another would be an easy thing to do considering it’s done on a daily basis, minute by minute, but that’s not so. It all entails what mood we are in at the time.

At one time or another, we all sometimes lose our cool and say things that we may regret, but that is life and we are human. It’s been said that it is always best to think before you speak.

Someone thought of the brilliant idea of counting to 10, especially if you are upset. But that is not always possible. I’ve learned that it’s good to let the other person speak and if I am upset, hold my thought until they are finished and then, maybe, I can come out with a more civil response.

But sometimes that does not always work. I guess it’s because of how people, approach you. I always thought it was a best practice to imagine myself in their shoes, and realizing how I wanted to be treated, and with that, I could respond sensibly. It all goes back to the Word of God saying when I was a child, I thought and spoke as a child, and now that I am grown up, I must not act childish and do foolish things.

The Bible also tells us that if you have a fault against your brother/sister, go to them in private and talk with them. If they do not adhere to what you are saying take with you a witness or two, not because you need an audience, but simply in the event that if the conversation get out of hand, one of you might have a level head and can quiet the storm.

It also tells us that everything should be done in order, in a civilized and respectable manner, being truthful and in a private or public setting, as applicable.

You wouldn’t get a person in a crowd and say, “You stole my pencil!” All that’s going to do is cause all eyes to be on you and your outburst and cause the person you said it to, to have ill feeling.

The Word of God tells us to be mindful of our actions and what we say.

Beverly Gibson is a Ferriday resident.