I had no idea that words and their meanings changed over time.
Regardless of what language you spoke, it was always a case of words added to more words that would form a sentence that would convey a message or a statement for your understanding. But, over time, meanings of several words seem to have changed, or rather they mean something else.
For instance, the letter ‘I’ meaning ‘me’ or added to ‘will’, or to make a particular gesture, says one thing, but can be re-interpreted by necessity.
If a person said to you ‘please do the work’, or do this specific task and ‘I’ will pay you on Sunday or when the task ends, the person doing the task then expects that at the said time or day of the completion of the task they would get paid.
But Lo and Behold, the task could be finished but payment of the job is held back for one reason or the other and that now changes the promise to mean something else.
In the same way, if two lovers were at the altar and the preacher said that this ring placed on your finger should be a symbol a lasting and trusting love where the relationship is concerned, for better or for worse, that changes as soon as there is infidelity in the relationship.
There are so-many words that we say or use that we do not mean.
Like saying ‘I love you’ or ‘I will be there for you’ or ‘I will never forsake you’ and ‘You can depend on me’, or ‘Trust me…’ — all are words that convey one message, but can change in the blink of an eye.
One boss promises you a pay hike, but if he changes his mind for whatever reason, that promise goes down the drain.
Nice words are meant to comfort, some are meant to make you trust, some are said to wheel you on, also to deceive you, but all can be deceptive and not meant to genuinely. As was said, it may have been said to get the task done, knowing full well it was just words and they can be broken or changed at any time.
So, humans change language to suit themselves, to con another, to persuade one, to fool another — just to get one to get certain things done to profit them.
If you got in an accident with your vehicle, the damage, if minimal, one or both parties can or may agree to settle the matter out of court. But such verbal statements can change at will and have a bargain suspended mid-air because one party lied or just changed their mind about the words that were previously spoken, or agreed upon.
So hence the reason words change with time and situations also and there is not always sincerity in words or sentences that should have been a binding commitment. So, while we use words to convey messages or to convince persons to trust or believe in our words, understand that it is a tool that is most frequently used for deception.
So, believing what you hear, or taking one’s words for real can end up being a gamble, or hurtful or harmful in the end — and take my word.
There are great examples in the words of politicians, in lovers, in workmates, in life generally — even in presidents, especially these days.
So be mindful with what is said to you or told to you, because words are just part of language and may occasionally mean nothing.