I agree, there is no choice - the reaction, the emotional reaction, comes first, then a rational response follows. People react to words in the same way as they do to beauty and ugliness - they are ultimately aesthetic reactions.
This also has an unfortunate consequence: that people will believe just about anything if repeated often enough as it is less effort to adjust to the "new truth" than to continually oppose it.
This is one of the reasons I began the 30 Day #ManifestChallenge. We each have so many preconceived notions, and so much of it is negative. I'm currently working on a post on affirmations for children. So much of their young lives is negative: No! Don't touch that! Stop! You can't do that. You're too little... I didn't even realize just how much until I began writing this article!
And sadly, as the child grown, so does the weight of the negatives...
I have a young daughter; she has an uncanny ability to bring joy to everyone she meets. My task is just to allow her to flourish. She has always insisted that she was perfectly able to do most "adult" things - indeed, she can even cook us dinner! She's 9. I teach, so can see how so many kids are warped into shape - sad and wasteful.
Awe, what a doll :)
My boys started cooking young, too. Probably because they like to eat ;) Athletic and overflowing with energy- I'm sure you can imagine my pantry can never stay full ;)
Being a teacher, yea, I can imagine how much you witness...