People can be mean.

Meanness comes from selfishness. Someone is smarter, prettier, faster, or has something another person wants, and selfishness responds in mean ways. It steals possessions, knocks the pretty girl into the mud, or ridicules the smart kid. Parents ought to teach their children to control selfish tendencies and not be mean. However, many childish parents raise their kids with their own childish behaviors. They yell at teachers, scold referees, and laugh at the disadvantaged. This has decivilized our society. However, there is more to cursing the deaf than just meanness.

People who take advantage of others feel safe.

They think, “The deaf man cannot hear me, so I can curse him all I want and get away with it.” Or “That blind man will never know who put a rock in his path.” Anonymity or the belief that they won’t get caught emboldens people to commit hurtful acts. Like people randomly knocking out unsuspecting individuals on public streets or creating anonymous online accounts to bully or bilk others. But meanness and anonymity do not completely explain why people abuse others.

The extent of their hearts.

God reveals the full extent of their hearts, “You shall fear your God.” Bad behavior, wickedness, and abuse arise when people do not fear God. To summarize Paul’s discussion in Romans 3:10-18, why do people turn aside and become worthless? Why do people lie, curse, deceive, steal, abuse, and murder? Paul answered with Psalm 36:1 “Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.”

Integrity

Integrity means doing the right thing when nobody is looking. It means keeping the fear of God in our hearts and remembering that though the blind may not see it, or the deaf hear it, God does. A sense of God’s presence helps us live every day to please him.