Relationship Between Words and Action

¶ … Action

On the surface, there seems to be a contradiction in Officer Tim Wilson's essay: he tells the reader that it gives him comfort that he has written a letter to his family to be read posthumously, if he is ever killed on-duty. But he also says that he wishes to be judged on his actions, not on his beliefs or articulated words. "What really matters to us that, instead of just writing about our beliefs, we all take action to be the best humans we can be." The desire to be judged on words rather than actions makes a great deal of sense, given that Wilson is engaged in a profession requiring action. Being a police officer demands quick thinking and action when enforcing the law vs. being an attorney and winning a case with witty words and eloquence. A police officer cannot be a good police officer if he does not act decisively when he sees a robbery or if he treats suspects unfairly. However, Wilson is all too well aware of the fact that in the real world, people are not able to live up to their ideals. "In fact, I am far from perfect, but I hope my children will eventually realize that perfection is an illusion."

What we cannot always accomplish in our actions -- being perfect -- we can strive to be in our words. Words can be powerful because they allow us to make up for the discrepancy between words and actions that frequently arises. But the fact that perfection is impossible does not meant that we can ignore the need to be moral. We must strive to be moral and do our duty, even if we are not professionals with all of the responsibilities and obligations of Officer Wilson. Wilson admits he may "cuss" and show cynicism in a manner he would not want his children to emulate, in a manner which does not always live up to his own moral ideals. But at least he has a sense of something higher. That something higher is made up of a combination of his professional ideals as an officer and his personal ideals for his children.

The fact that someone as busy and action-oriented as Officer Wilson took the time to write a letter to his children is a testimony to the power of words and writing. Within the letter, the advice to "live in the moment...not attach yourself to physical things, treat others the way you would like to be treated, find happiness in the service of others, make the most out of today, follow your dreams, don't take yourself too seriously, be aware that there are hypocrites and manipulators in the world" may not be profound, in his eyes, but he would not write them down if he did not believe in the power of the written word.