Words not spoken are some of the most profound wisdom

Bird Droppings October 19, 2026

Words not spoken are some of the most profound wisdom

I was sitting in Cracker Barrel while out of town, thinking about writing and working on a chapter for a friend’s book. I just commented on a Facebook post about learning languages and how I know enough in several languages to survive and order chicken and rice. Silence is not necessarily an absence of knowledge. Sometimes it is the presence of thought that we haven’t learned how to recognize. Over the past several weeks, I have watched politicians make comments and have the same person rebut them, which I find most interesting. Native Peoples survived this trend back then, as treaties were made and broken in a few years, only to be told, “Sorry, we got the wording wrong,” or “You misunderstood what we were saying.” When we said we were going to kill off the buffalo, we meant all the buffalo, not just those slowing the train down.

“He believes profoundly in silence – the sign of a perfect equilibrium. Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind, and spirit.” Ohiyesa, Dr. Charles Alexander Eastman, Santee Sioux

Trained as a physician, Dr. Eastman was also a profound and eloquent speaker for the Sioux nation. So often, when we speak, words spill out of a bucket filled to overflowing with politically correct jargon. A barrage of often meaningless dribbles, just sitting there, waiting to explode. Such plain and nice platitudes as hello, how are you, how’s the family, the job, and numerous other familiar little blips we tend to throw at people we meet.

“Silence is the mother of truth, for the silent man was ever to be trusted, while the man ever ready with speech was never taken seriously.” Chief Luther Standing Bear, Teton Sioux

“In my opinion it was chiefly owing to their deep contemplation in their silent retreats in the days of youth that the old Indian orators acquired the habit of carefully arranging their thoughts.” Blackbird, Ottawa

So often in our haste we blurt out words that become meaningless simply because we feel we should be talking. As I look at the words of these great Native American orators, I often see that wisdom has shown through in their silence and reflection. Sadly, we will never see silence. No response was hasty, spontaneous, or thoughtless; each word was carefully chosen to impact the listener and make the point. For many words were sacred and a privilege to use and to speak. I thought it wouldn’t be great if every ADHD child thought before they spoke. We wouldn’t need medications, school suspensions, or behavior modification anymore. Fewer bars of soap would be sold, as parents wouldn’t have to wash mouths out, thinking back to my wife’s favorite movie, “The Christmas Story,” when Ralphie gets his mouth washed out.

“You must speak straight so that your words may go as sunlight into our hearts” Cochise, Chiricahua Apache

Known as a great warrior and spokesman for the Apache, Cochise was feared and revered by many. So often, as a teacher, you listen to teenagers’ fabrications, and you do enjoy silence and/or truth. So often, exaggerations flow like water; each telling of a story embellishes the next, and so on until, perhaps, reality really does occur.
“Good words do not last long unless they amount to something.” Chief Joseph, Nez Perce
Growing up, I recall stories of Chief Joseph and how his people avoided the army and won numerous skirmishes in their attempted flight to freedom in Canada. After the Canadian government rejected them, they had no alternative but to surrender, and Joseph’s speech has been quoted by many ever since.

“I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises. There has been too much talking by men who had no right to talk.” Chief Joseph

In recent weeks I have watched our politicians talk out one side of their mouth and down the other. It is like going to a used-car lot and watching used-car salespeople at work. What do you believe? Watching the news today isn’t really watching the news; it is about what I believe and what is fantasy. I find friends posting stories that have been shown to be false and have been debunked numerous times yet still show up as true. On many shelves, popular newspapers on the racks at grocery stores, scandal sheets with altered photos grab the attention, and we are led to believe what the story supposedly implies. Investigators are trying to blame someone for the misinformation about Iraq that led to the war, for example, a recent headline.

We now know most of what we were told was a lie, yet we are told the people who lied were only misinformed. It becomes confusing, as I am sure it was years ago, when soldiers explained peace treaties with numerous lines of fine print. One famous line read, “As long as the buffalo roam,” to a Plains tribe that lived off the vast herds of migratory buffalo, numbering over fifty million on one count, that would be forever. However, a new Sharps rifle accurate to over a thousand yards and a healthy trade in buffalo hides quickly reduced the herds to a handful, and we said, “As long as the buffalo roam,” and they were gone. We do this today in politics, in schools, and in life, committing to something we already know.

“I would have been better pleased if you had never made promises, than that you should have made them and not performed them.” Shinguaconse

We so often tell little stories that it becomes a habit, and soon we get caught up in them with no return.

“Always tell the truth – it’s the easiest to remember.” David Mamet

As I ponder this simple statement by Mamet, if we only took our own advice and told the truth, we wouldn’t need to remember anything. Please keep all in harm’s way on your mind and in your hearts and always give thanks. Namaste.

My family and friends, I do not say this lightly

Mitakuye Oyasin


(We are all related)

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