The Power of Words

It has been said that the pen is mightier than the sword.  Swords are powerful.  There are large two-handed battle swords and small, but just as deadly pointed rapiers.  The large swords, which are cutting swords, can cut a man in half.  And that would be a man wearing armor–at least leather or chain mail, if not plate–I don’t remember reading if the swords were ever able to cut through plate.  Someone who knows can correct me.  The two-handed swords were powered by their own momentum as much as the muscle strength of the wielder, who could get his entire body’s strength behind the blow.  But the smaller, one handed or one and a half handed (these could be used with either one or two hands–the name doesn’t imply the user has one half of a hand) could cut a man in two, definitely cut the limbs off a man. 

And then there were the rapiers, the “gentleman’s sword.”  This was long, very slender, and pointed.  Due to its extreme slenderness it was usually not sharpened on the sides.  It wouldn’t have done much good to sharpen it anyway as due to its cross-section it wasn’t good for cutting.  But what it was good for, excellent for, was stabbing.  And that’s how it was used.  And due to the limited medical knowledge of the time (Renaissance time) puncture wounds were harder to recover from and thus more deadly than cuts (as in “It’s a mere scratch”).  Thus this was a very deadly weapon and was the weapon of choice for duels, at least until pistols became accurate enough to be popular.

Nowadays we have even more deadly weapons.  We have guns and we have bombs and we have nuclear bombs and other weapons of mass destruction.  We could destroy the entire world if we wanted to, and in fact there’s a lot of literature been written about this very possibility.

But above and beyond all that is the power of words.  Words too can destroy.  Words too can destroy whole civilizations, whole worlds.  As an example, Hitler used the power of words to control the German people and lead them to war and the subsequent destruction of so many lives.  Political and religious leaders throughout history have motivated and controlled people, led people through their use of words.  There are three major religions of the world today based on words–”People of the Book”–Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  Words are what has powered the spread of all three religions around the world.  Words are powerful.

But words can do more than destroy.  They can do what the weapons of warfare cannot do: words can build.  Words can be used to build civilizations.  The above mentioned religions are each responsible for amazing civilizations throughout history, from the Israel of Kings David and Solomon to the Byzantine Empire and Christian Europe to the Moors of Spain and the Ottomans, just to name a few.  And don’t forget the Zorostrians of Persia (now Iran).  They had a whole civilization based on their religion–on words.

Words can hurt or they can heal.  There’s a rhyme that is sometimes quoted to children.  It is this: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, / but words can never hurt me.”  That rhyme is a lie.  I was hurt by words as a child, and I’m sure you have been too.  I say words hurt more than sticks and stones.  Sticks and stones and other weapons can only hurt the body.  Yes, they may be able to kill, but it is only the body.  Words can touch the soul.  Let me repeat that.  Words can touch one’s very soul.  They can heal the soul or harm the soul or even destroy the soul.

That, my friends, is power, real power.  Words have the power to get down into the ”real me” of each one of us and touch our core selves.  And to know we have the power to do that to each other is both awesome and frightening.

In the Bible, Proverbs 18:21 says this:

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

And those who love it will eat its fruit. 

Death and life, folks.  That’s powerful.  That’s sobering.  And what about the second phrase?  “Those who love it will eat its fruit”?  Do you love words?  Maybe not.  Not everyone is called to a life of using words–to speak, to write, etc.  Some people truly love words.  They love learning new vocabulary, they love reading, they love learning new languages, they love talking to others, and they love learning how to use words to express their own thoughts to others.  People like that keep blogs.  So maybe I’m really talking to myself.  But we all use words to some extent or another.  And so there’s the warning.  A promise or a warning, I’m not sure.  Maybe a little of both.  It says to me that those who love words (and I think this would include people who like to talk) will experience both the death and the life of the power of words.  Wow.  I’m all for the life part, but not so sure about the death part.  That’s why I take it as a warning: Be careful how I use words.  I can bring life to others and I can also bring death.  What I say can have permanent results, as I can touch a person’s soul–their very essence.  That’s serious.  It’s definitely something to keep in mind as I write this blog.  I hope I use this power wisely.

What about you?