No! The Great Strength of the Word No – Its Proper and Right Use for Life Changes
© Donald Reinhardt, May 10, 2011
No is a simple, strong and important word. No means a stop, a block, an interdiction, a prohibition of some action not desired. No if used at the proper or right time, moment or circumstance can save a life, avert a tragedy, set a new course. No can be used inappropriately or improperly as when a rightful, proper command or order is given and No is the response. So, learning to use the power of no at the right time and in the right way is important to all.
How No Words Serve to Shelter, Save, Protect Individuals and Society in General
No signs are everywhere: No Parking, No Stopping, No Smoking, No Climbing, No Drinking, No Swimming, No Diving, No Spitting, No Skateboarding, No Copying, No Cheating and the list goes on and on, ad infinitum.
Some no signs are for the protection of business or commerce. Others are for convenience. Some no signs are for individual and community protection. Overall, when no is used it is for protection and preservation of one thing or another such as property, people, health, quiet, peace, commerce. No then can contribute to the general welfare and good of all.
The Ten Commandments & No Signs and Warnings Compared and Contrasted
Many years ago the Ten Commandments - due to the founding fathers of the nation and their actions, attitudes and plans - were held in such regard in the United States that they were displayed and used everywhere with great regularity – courthouses, statehouses, federal facilities and schools. Today, based on the “false” concept of “separation of church and state” the Ten Commandments are relegated to antiquity and almost fully-sequestered, hidden privacy.
Regardless of your opinion on the Ten Commandments – whether they came from God first, or that they were made up by Moses or some other person – the Ten Commandments, especially 4 to 10, really work well as helpful admonitions and guidelines for respecting, honoring and protecting life, property and relationships and for ordering these things in life correctly.
Once the Ten Commandments are abandoned as a general and specific moral compass then you absolutely and definitely need to fill the gap with as many obvious man-made rules to prevent theft, shoplifting, fraud, bodily and personal harm. And who is man or government authorized by to make up all these rules, regulations and "nots" or "noes"? And why should all these be obeyed except for fear of some kind of legal punishment?
Regardless, all societies require that the power and strength of no to be backed up by multitudes of signs, rules, regulations, laws, enforcements and effective legal, judicial, and correctional rehabilitation systems to keep and maintain order.
The Personal Power of the Word No
For a person who is being abused – spouse, sibling, relative, neighbor or whoever – the power of no must and should be exercised.
Abuse is an excess of some kind that decreases or destroys the body, mind or very soul of a person. Righteous Noes are excellent and proper. “No, I will no longer allow your abuse.” “No, I will not permit you to degrade and humiliate me.” “No, I will not tolerate that.” Now, these Noes are so powerful they may invite even further and greater abuse. And here it is important to remember that legal, professional or whatever helps should and must be sought as quickly as possible. So there is definitely power in “no”.
Persons in Abusive Situations Need Protection and Need Help – No Doubt
Since no as a word alone is insufficient to prevent real abuse it must be backed up with protective legal authority vested in cities, municipalities, etc., through police and family government services. Abuse that continues can harm or destroy a person’s life. Everyone should be aware that help is sometimes just a call away and one day that power of no will be enforced, hopefully sooner rather than too much later to rescue and save a person in need.
This essay is dedicated to the victims of abuse who are often friendless, abandoned and lost.
 photo: No Signs and Words are Important credit: U.S. Dept Transportation, Highway Department
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