THE POWER OF WORDS

A friend of mine was talking the other day about how I shouldn’t be offended when someone uses the Savior’s name as an epithet, because, he said, "It’s just words."

I know what he was getting at, but still I said, "No. Words have power."

Remember the childhood adage, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me"? It dates back to the 1800's, a mild reply to a personal insult. I think the little rhyme was meant more as protection against the curse of whatever the unkind person said. Because, you know, I was hurt. Words mean something. They DO have power.

If words didn’t have power, great works of literature would have no meaning to us. They wouldn’t inspire us to do exceptional things, explore new places and new ideas. We wouldn’t be moved to tears or laugh out loud. When I read James Lee Burke, I’m enthralled by the imagery he weaves. But I can also sink into melancholy so deep that I have to put the book aside for awhile. His characters plumb the depths of pathos and hopelessness. But I shall read on because his words impel me. No matter where I am when I read his work, I experience Louisiana.

A good writer will always use an economy of words to achieve the desired result. Does he want you to be afraid, tense? Thomas Harris, probably the best thriller writer of our time, does this masterfully in Red Dragon.


And no one makes me laugh like Dave Barry. Although he insists, "I’m not making this up."

Words indeed have power. If they didn’t, no book would ever be banned or burned. And the lyrics of our favorite songs would be forgotten. As it is, they trigger memories and encourage us. Who cannot feel some national pride when we sing, "Oh beautiful for spacious skies"? If you doubt me, you HAVE to go here: YouTube

What is your favorite song, dear reader? Think of it for a moment. It probably transports you to another time, another place. Oh, I suppose you might remember it for an artfully performed guitar riff or two, but I’ll wager more often it’s the lyrics.

The power of words is demonstrated by the passages from Genesis where God speaks everything into existence. His Word holds everything together, and His withdrawal thereof will bring it all to an end. Now that’s powerful stuff.

We all remember words of criticism and praise from our parents that reverberate down through the decades with the same power as when they were first spoken.

"You’re so stupid."

"You’ll never amount to anything."

Or preferably:

"You can be anything you want to be."

"I’m proud of you."

If words didn’t have power, why would bullies, criminals, and even policemen use such strong language to frighten others? When I took my gun training, we were instructed to shout our warning, "I have a gun, and I will use it."

[Side bar]
I know some will take issue with that . . . you don’t want to tip off a perp as to your position, but this was within the context of being in your house, perhaps in your safe room, when an intruder keeps coming.[End side bar]

I watch Alaska State Troopers on National Geographic, and they don’t generally ask a dangerous person to please lay down his gun. They shout, "Drop the gun," and "Get on your face." I figure they use some additional colorful language when the cameras aren’t rolling. They do this to intimidate the would-be shooter and get him to surrender. I suppose pointing a shotgun at him helps, too, but you get my drift.

It appears to me that words are used to intimidate, manipulate and frighten, probably more often than they are used to soothe, instruct and comfort. Take graffiti for instance. It’s been around for a long time. Napoleon’s soldiers left it at the pyramids. They made their mark, literally. It was, perhaps, benign, simply wanting to say, "I was here."

Remember Kilroy?

You can read the legend here.

In Pompeii, brothel clients used drawings on walls to point the way to their favorite places. According to thinkquest.org, "Graffiti has been around for millions of years. Romans wrote on the walls of buildings they conquered and cave men drew illustrations on cave walls. . . . (In the U.S.) Graffiti first became big in New York and spread through other states. It started as tagging or writing your name on a street sign. Then gangs used graffiti as a way to mark territory." While some graffiti has evolved into an art form, most of what we see in urban settings (and I’ve seen plenty of it in Europe), is cryptic and intimidating. We still fear what we don’t understand.

If words didn’t have meaning to us, why would we crave hearing "I love you," or "Well done, good and faithful servant"?

We’ve all no doubt experienced speaking rashly and seeing the hurt in another’s eyes. Words are so powerful that once spoken we cannot take them back. The written word can be erased, but the spoken word. . . .

Giving someone your word means you promise them. For over 200 hundred years the phrase, "My word is my bond," was agreement enough without a written document to back it up. Oral agreements are valid today, but better have a couple of witnesses, because it might come down to "my word against yours." Then what?

So, "just words"? I think not. And you have my word on it.