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.