The Mike Is Always Live

An interesting article from www.verticalthought.org about being careful when speaking.
This follows this post about school. For more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.

The Mike Is Always Live
A commentary by Paul Hadleye
There's an old saying in broadcasting: "The mike is always live." It's a reminder that someone around a microphone should always assume that it's on and never say anything that he or she wouldn't want to be heard on the air.
Former Prime Minister
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently learned this lesson the hard way. While campaigning for reelection, he stopped for a discussion with Mrs. Gillian Duffy. During a polite conversation, she explained that although she was generally a supporter of Mr. Brown's Labour party, she had a few concerns.
As Prime Minister Brown was leaving (not realizing his microphone was still on), he called Mrs. Duffy "bigoted." His comments were picked up by the microphone and have been broadcast all over the world.
Gordon Brown was already in an uphill reelection battle and these remarks may have terminally damaged his campaign. Millions of Britons who share the same concerns as Mrs. Duffy now knew what their Prime Minister thought of them.
Unringing the bell
Of course the Prime Minister apologized when he realized that the mike was on, but as another saying goes, "You can't unring the bell." His apology failed to quiet the uproar and many Britons may have questioned its sincerity. Mr. Brown broke a cardinal rule of broadcasting and paid a huge price.
Have we ever considered that our mike is always on? We may not have a literal microphone clipped onto our collar, but our words are still being broadcast to those within earshot.
On the other hand, given today's social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, plus the proliferation of blogging, perhaps we do have a microphone on us continually. With the abundance of mobile recorders and websites like YouTube, it's easy to put something out there that anyone can see and hear.
Heart-to-mouth
What do our words say about us?
The biblical historian Luke recorded a profound principle that Jesus Christ taught: "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34).
If we find that our words keep getting us into trouble by embarrassing us, family and friends or by offending others, and if we find we have to repeatedly apologize for what we say, then we need to consider how what Jesus said applies to us.
Perhaps the answer is not just to watch what we say, but to change our heart.
We can bite our tongues for only so long before what is really in our hearts comes spilling out. Once that happens we can apologize—but what's been said has been said! There is no unringing that bell.
We are what we say
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown served as a public example of what can happen when someone speaks what he really thinks in an uncensored moment. His words insulted a voter in front of the world, offended millions of his countrymen and possibly played a role in his political defeat.
Our words can have the same impact within our sphere of influence. It's possible to say things that can damage relationships in ways we can never repair.
We've all heard of a gut check. What we need is a heart check. Take a moment to read "The Hole in Your Heart."
Let's check what's in our hearts to see what we need to fix—before it leads to tragic consequences. VT


About the AuthorPaul Hadley and his wife Karen live in Columbus, Ohio, where they attend the United Church of God.