Communication is the exchange of ideas among people using a shared set of symbols. Words are so powerful in any communication process; it matters a lot which words you use in your communication process. Are they violent in nature or non-violent? Are they playing a part in soothing one’s life or just hurting them? The word “violent” refers to verbal aggression and not physical aggression. Any communication that results in suffering or harm for anyone including ourselves is referred to as “violent”, whereas true compassion-driven communication is referred to as “nonviolent”.
Violence has become a social determinant in our communication, affecting our mental health. It has a great impact on our lives, lifestyles, mental growth, and relationships. People in our society do not realize the impact of violent communication on the lives of each other. As communication plays a big role in conveying a thoughtful message and if one is not using a peaceful way of communication with another person then it affects the mental capacity of that individual.
Positive and negative interpersonal communications are two characteristics of communication. Negative communication elicits a wide range of unfavourable feelings, including stress and worry, resentment, dismissiveness, frustration, and general unhappiness. One or more of the following is likely to occur when a group of people doesn’t encourage open, empathic communication: they start blaming others, taking credit for something they didn’t achieve, viewing everyone as competition, continually criticizing others, and never complimenting them or appreciating their efforts. Conflicts are frequently unavoidable in that type of atmosphere whereas fruitful exchanges lead to closer connections. The foundation for empathy and trust is positive communication, which is established by openness, reliability, sincerity, constructive criticism, showing support, and being prepared to assist.
Words must bring peace, cooperation, cohesiveness, success, and happiness to our lives.
British Author and philanthropist- J. K. Rowling quoted in one of her writings: “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.”
A healthy, balanced life requires good mental health. Our psychological, emotional, and social well-being is all included in our mental health. This indicates that it affects our daily feelings, thoughts, and behaviours. Our ability to make decisions, handle stress, and interact with others in our lives is all influenced by our mental health. Life depends on emotional and mental health, which has an impact on thoughts, behaviours, and emotions. Being emotionally balanced can increase efficiency and effectiveness in our day-to-day activities. It can only be possible if the external environment is peaceful and nontoxic. It helps to adjust to changes in life and deal with hardships. It also has a big impact on relationships.
Now it’s important to understand why someone might communicate violently with another person, whether it’s because the person is trying to control the other person’s emotions using violent words or because they have mental health problems or insecurities that lead them to do so. Children, especially those residing in a family where there is a great deal of distress, may lack the skills for processing difficult emotions. Bullying is a component of violent communication. Teenage bullying and peer victimization are developing public health issues that have an impact on the mental health, social and academic functioning, and academic performance of victims.
A study on 2,315 schoolchildren was conducted by Dr Sadiq Naveed (Associate Professor – Quinnipiac University, United States), in 2020 in five districts of Punjab i.e., Lodhran, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Multan, Thatta, and Nawabshah about bullying behaviour, and strengths and challenges.
The study shows that bullying perpetration and victimization behaviours were extremely common and were linked to behavioural issues. This study also sheds light on the relationship between various bullying behaviour patterns, childhood psychopathologies, and the mechanisms that regulate them. The likelihood of becoming a bully in the future was significantly increased by having been bullied in the past. The findings have several ramifications for academics and policymakers in Pakistan. It also stresses the significance of comprehending behavioural problem patterns in developing efficient anti-bullying programs, psychosocial counselling techniques, and school-based mental health services.
To ensure peace is part of our lives then it must be our duty to take responsibility for our words. Words must bring peace, cooperation, cohesiveness, success, and happiness rather than hatred, extremism, conflict, violence, insecurities, and depression to our lives while living in a society. We must take collective responsibility to achieve cooperation for becoming better human beings, and for better nations. We must all be willing to do our part to maintain peace in our environment even though we are all coping with different emotional challenges. We must be prepared to cooperate and strive for the achievement of peace through harmonious and fruitful interactions. Not everyone will always agree on everything. Arguments and disagreements occur. If we want to maintain peace, we must stop the dispute from turning into a battle. Instead of using our words as weapons to attack or denigrate others, we must treat them as tools for understanding and compromise. Keeping the peace is not always simple. For people that can communicate, it might get easier by attempting to reason with others. It needs teamwork. Everyone will be better off if more people can learn to put their egos aside and adopt empathy and tolerance among them.
The writer is a freelance columnist.