MANILA, Philippines - Is the pen really mightier than the sword? Edward Bulwer-Lytto thought so. Pens are used to write words while swords are used as a weapon to apparently hurt people. So, do we still agree that the latter is less powerful than the former? In my case, I do agree. Words do not just hurt people, they also change lives, whether for the better or worse, they have the potential change someone’s life forever.
Words, what are they? And where did they come from? According to the dictionary, a word is a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds or their written representation that functions as a principal carrier of meaning. Linguists believe that words are universal, that no matter how we had contrarily evolved into another set human beings, we would definitely learn how to use words, but probably in a different manner that they might have cultivated into. Words are therefore simple. But I think words are more than words. They are very powerful, yet we unconsciously do not realize how robust and controlling they are. Words are the greatest innovation man has ever developed. They can inspire, influence, destroy and even build whatsoever. They move mountains, travel around the world in as fast as 1 second, and even kill people. Still don’t agree?There have been a lot of instances that people changed the world because of words. Whether written or spoken, they just mean a lot. A lot of wars were started by an exchange of words. A lot of friendships were destroyed by words. A lot of lovers were separated by words. Whether we like it or not, words will always be a factor, if not the main reason, that destroys good relationships. But are words really that bad? Not really. Words give us hope, life and inspiration. Let’s use Japan
In my 21 years of existence in this world, I must say words have never been my best friend. In other words, I am having a hard time using them. They sometimes agree with me, and most of the time, they betray me. It is always hard to find the perfect words that I really want to express. It’s so frustrating. I always have that “it’s on the tip of my tongue” moment. A single word can make a big difference and once we said them, we can never get them back.
I remember a point in my life when I had the chance to be part of the top section in our elementary school. I was a third grader. I was in the second section but I was doing great. In fact, I was doing so great that the school supervisor even heard about my performance, so one day, she visited me. It was the middle of the school year; I saw her talking with my adviser when they called me up. Then she said the magic words, “Do you want to be transferred to the first section?” It was too fast that I didn’t even have the chance to breathe. The pressure was on me. They were waiting for my answer. My head shouted “Of course! I want to be in Section 1.” But my mouth betrayed me and said, “No, Ma’am.” That very instant changed my life. From that moment on, they never put me in the first section even though I was the top pupil in Section 2 class. If I had said “Yes” that day, I could have had exclusive teaching advantage in school. I could have been the Valedictorian, well not really, but at least I would have gotten higher grades.
My story is a good example of how powerful a single word can be. Once executed, we can never take them back. It’s either they pick up us, or pull us down. The words we speak or write have a different upshot on the individuals they get to. And from there, everything can change permanently.
A mother and daughter I know were fighting over the daughter’s freedom on having a boyfriend. The mother didn’t want her to have a boyfriend. She was only 17 but she said the boy loved him and he would do everything to prove that his love was true. The mom explained all the possible things that could happen to her if she insisted on having a boyfriend. She could get low grades, she could be hurt emotionally, and worst, she could get pregnant. The mom told her all the finest quotes she knew. But she never listened to her. One day, she got home pregnant and the bad news was the boy’s nowhere to be found. She was so scared. She was so depressed. She should have known better. Then she remembered her mom and all the words of wisdom she had told her. If only she had listened, she thought. If only she had felt all the words her mom said in her skin, this wouldn’t have happened. If only she didn’t let those words pass through her left ear to the right. She regretted everything. When she was about to abort her baby, alone and depressed, she talked to her mom. She couldn’t find the perfect words to tell her mom, all she said was, “I am so sorry.” And her mom understood. The simple words made any gap reachable. The wounds were somehow healed. If she didn’t say anything at all, would there be a difference? Yes. The baby must have been aborted and gone for good.
“Speak only kind words towards others” says the bible in Col.4:6. Words can build friendships between enemies. Words can stop an atrocious war. They build bridges. They make love, peace and happiness. Words, if used properly, can do the impossible. Words are communication and communication is words.
I agree that words can also be used as a tool to harm others. People can use words to manipulate other people. Let’s use criminals as an example. Why are there drug syndicate all over the world? It all started with one simple thing: negotiation. All these criminals negotiate using words. They recruit people using words. They sell what needs to be sold using words. They hurt or kill people using words. Their successes and failures materialize because of words. The sad truth is that words can damage another person far deeper than any weapon can do. Words can make lives terrible.
Lying is another way words affect humans. Lying, as we know it, is never good. It has never been. Even God himself cannot lie. It is also a proof that words can be unreliable. We can never prove that the words spoken unto you are real. We all lie. People say that we lie every day and the one we say the most is “I am fine.” What if we never lie? What if we say, “I am not fine because you are talking to me and isn’t it obvious that I don’t want to talk with you?” Would there be a difference? So that’s another story. The power of words, whether factual or fabricated, is always there to keep the world moving.
Jokes are as bad as lies. Have you heard about this young guy who committed suicide because his friends joked that his girlfriend broke up with him. It’s tragic. Words killed him but no words could ever take his life back. This is another example of how words can keep one's world moving or have one’s world stop. We can never escape them. The very thing that comes out of our mouths can come back to us. Words that we say make us who we are. So, it’s better to keep our words sweet as we might eat them all up later.
An insensitive person is no different compared to a shy one. Words are free to be used. It’s like an open-source application. Everyone can use it, but be responsible when doing so. We can someday take a dose of our own medicines. Even those who cannot speak, see or hear can use words to express what they feel. But it’s just sad that some people use words to express what they don’t truthfully feel. Rather, they use them to be whatever they know they cannot be.
Words are indeed powerful. Words may be powerful enough to make your life miserable or extravagant; they do not always affect you the way other people are affected. But whether good or bad we should always know how to use them properly. Let’s think about the words we’ve said lately, would there be changes if we didn’t say them or if we only said the perfect words? If yes, that’s a good start for us. Otherwise, let’s attempt to reflect again and be more careful. Let’s choose the words we say because no matter how we come up with whatsoever, our words will always speak for us. Our spoken words, like some restless souls, will haunt us as long as we live, so we better think before we speak.
(john edward padilla, 2011-81248 comm 1 theme 1)
Call Me Jed™ (cc) 2013. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Philippines License.
