THE POWER WITHIN

Everyone uses them, but not everyone knows how. We all take them for granted, yet many would give their very lives just to have them. These intangible offerings can work miracles, heal the wounded, and set hearts afire. They can also destroy, mutilate, and wreak havoc that no one can undue.

What can have such power over people and situations, yet cannot be totally controlled or contained? WORDS -

Words are at the disposable of anyone who wishes to use them. There are no restrictions, guidelines, or penalties for misuse, no stated rules or punishments for wrongful use. They are tiny and one-syllable long or they can be complicated and unknown to many. Words are so powerful that people fear them, while others long to hear them.

A writer uses words as the tools of his trade. With careful manipulation, they can delight readers with stories, anecdotes, and passages that will transgress time. If not used correctly, they will give misinformation, misdirection, and confusion. Vocabulary can hasten a heartbeat or cause it to halt and die. They bring smiles to children, thrills to lovers, and soothe a fevered brow. Without effort, they can cut right to the heart, invade the soul, and the mind, linger, cause pain, and sometimes destroy a person from the inside.

Words should never be taken lightly. Children use gibberish to test the water of language. As they get older, they begin to sense the power they hold in a simple “No.” Older children will begin to use them to get what they want or manipulate others to a certain conclusion. Adults use them constantly, yet many do not take the responsibility for what they do. Generations make note of them and destiny quotes them.

Speech is one of the finer points of being human. It is what separates us from the animal world. Yet many of us would benefit by being speechless and at a loss for words in certain situations. Words are a marvelous way to touch someone else, share knowledge, lift spirits, turn lives around, and make the world a better place to live. If used with the responsibility they deserve and demand, our own lives and those of everyone else can be enriched and empowered. There is always a downside. If spoken carelessly, the impact they create may never be evident at the moment they are used. But that is the power they are endowed with. Maybe not the same day, same month, or even the same year, words will come back in delightful memories or rekindle pain and hurt. Once spoken, they cannot be made to disappear. They are there in the world and you have given up all claim to them. If they are “good” they will make you proud and bring you rewards untold, but if they were “less than good” they may haunt you, embarrass you, and cause you sorrow.

If we use words to create a better way of living, to embrace others, bring joy, hope, peace, and love, then they are doing their rightful work. Even in a reprimand, they can point out wrongdoing, but not destroy the wrongdoer. Words are writers, painters, bus drivers, parents, children, and anyone else who uses them, or hears them. They are a very real part of our lives and can lead to new discoveries, enable us to reach the stars, and to insure that not one person in the world is without basic needs. They color our surroundings, and add laughter to our days. A thunderstorm could be turned into a rainbow with just the right words. A child could grow into a successful, caring adult, capable of unlimited undertakings with the right words. However, the opposite side of the coin will always be there. It takes each and every person to insure that the coin is not turned over and that not even one misused word will cause pain or cause the world to weep. We have that power, given to each one of us, totally free, to use or misuse. The result is up to every man, woman, and child. We can only hope that as marvelous as we are in being human, we can use all our gifts to the best of our ability and that does include language.
©Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 May