Oct
Talking and Doing
There has been much talk of the Spartans lately, due mostly to a movie that portrayed the legend of Thermopylae. The movie was pure fiction, drawn from a comic book that loosely portrayed the battle. The historical Spartans were a different group altogether. The elites of society were those who were pure Spartan. Others in the state of Sparta were the common folks and a slave tribe known as helots. Spartan culture was very military. In its later years, the Romans liked to visit Sparta to see the bizarre culture.
There is one thing that really sets Spartans apart. Unlike many of their neighbors, the Spartans always did what they said they would do. There were no false promises and no brash claims. The Spartans did what they said.
A person who does what he says is trustworthy. His word has merit. The same cannot be said of those who say one thing and do another. Just as the other Greeks could trust the Spartans to follow through on their words, so we today trust those who back their words with action.
We used to say, “Talk is cheap.” That is often the case. However, when a person who does what he says talks, his words have weight. His talk is not cheap. His word is as good as any contract.
We give our talk value when we validate our words with our actions.
