Today I was chatting with my son and he asked me something. I said “I’m not opposed to it.” And he said “does that mean you’re not open to it?” And he asked me what “opposed” meant.
I said opposed means against something. So when I say “not opposed” I mean I’m not against it. And then I explained I probably could have said “I’m open to it.”
It’s a small shift but a good one to explore. Why did I default to using a negative connotation when I could have used a positive one?
When we talk to each other and consider ideas the words we use have power. Even though I was basically saying I’m open to it I chose to say it in a way that cast it in a negative light. And my seven year old son picked up on it. In the moment it might seem harmless or insignificant. but how often do we default to this way of speaking? Perhaps it’s worth examining further and being more selective with our words in the future.
