The "Mouth"

In my twenty-five years I have seen my fair share of negative people. From bullies to mean girls, I’ve met some interesting characters. But none can compare to the one monster I have always had to deal with, my own mouth.

When first given this assignment, I was going to write about some sort of horrid terror I used to know, but then I realized that I had something much better to write about than that. For the most part I’m usually a fair conversationalist, and a considerate critic, but then there are those times when I open my mouth and just sit back for the ride it takes me on.

This past Thursday I was participating in a class workshop, in which I was offering my thoughts on a paper that was well written, but I just wasn’t connecting with. As I kept talking, I realized I was starting to talk too much. As the class continued to roll along, I noticed that my comments were becoming more frequent, less considerate of the writer, and borderline mean.

As the class continued, I started thinking about a comment I had made earlier in the day, in the same class no less, about how Jackie Chan butchered the English language in every movie he does that isn’t subtitled. Now while this statement may be true, I then realized that a classmate was from China, and that she herself had mentioned how difficult learning the English language, let alone speaking it, was more difficult than thought.

I was two for two on making myself appear to be an insensitive, uncaring, and small-minded fool. I was doing a lot of damage for someone who isn’t normally so critical of others. That is when I realized that I was starting to let the “Mouth” take over. It was as if I had ceased to be, and in my place was a swirling black hole that spewed forth unnecessary and uncalled for comments and criticisms of his fellow classmates. Not to mention the inappropriate dig at Mr. Jackie Chan.

It was at that moment when I started remembering all the other times the “Mouth” had taken over and left a devastation I had to try and clean up later on. For the rest of the afternoon little flashes of bad moments, in which I should have just not said anything, kept popping up in my head. Even in my dreams that night I was tormented by those moments in which I had an opportunity to walk away, but the “Mouth” wouldn’t stop.

While the “Mouth” has also allowed for some great moments in my life,such as well timed jokes, telling girls I liked they were cute, and other moments too numerous to mention, it is only the horrible moments that seem to happen on a consistent basis. This will forever make my own lips and tongue my greatest nemesis in life.