Words of Power

One of the reasons I originally became fascinated with language is the capacity to bring hope and comfort to those hurting. Stories are especially potent in this regard, because we insert ourselves into the characters and live out their adventures. Sure, I was with Bilbo when he found the One Ring in The Hobbit, and I scurried with Frodo and Sam in the Lord of the Rings. I haven't found any other medium with such power and majesty, and I doubt I ever will. There's something very special about living through a good story; the characters become part of our lives.

A well crafted story is capable of developing truly astonishing levels of emotion in the audience. Whatever the genre, stories burrow into the heart and draw forth the power of our feelings. But, it's not just the language doing it, there is the journey to take into account. Truthfully, if there is no journey, there's no emotion. If you were told the ending, without everything before it, the story would fall on its face and bear no power at all. We all require a process of growing to reach maturity, so should it be any different with a story?

The power of words is undeniable. The right words, at the right time and place, can change the universe. I my estimation, language is the greatest power of humankind. With it, we build cities, form societies, and develop future generations. Words are the future, the past, and the present. The old phrase of, "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never harm me," is true only in the sense that words don't physically injure. However, words have massive impact on our spirit. Use them with care.

- M