The power of words...

The power of words.

The pen is mightier than the sword.

Sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you.

I’m rubber and you’re glue.  Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you.

If life were only that simple!  Words, tiny meaningless letters till our advanced animal brains string them together in a way to describe, illuminate, communicate or to beat down a person, a group of people or a life style.  Words have power.  We give them power when we give them meaning.  Look up in a dictionary any word you want and you have empowered it.  Before, it was just letters strung together but now it has meaning and therefore power.

Words like gay, faggot, homo, dyke, queer have always been there.  But when did they become weapons?  “That’s so gay,” or “he’s a faggot” or “she’s a dyke” they weren't meant to tell the world how happy the person or item is or talk about a bundle of twigs or even an embankment of earth.  They are used to make the accused feel ‘less than’ as if a man loving another man or a woman another woman is ‘less than’ the ones slinging the words like daggers. 

Words like retard, loser and idiot are not meant to describe a delay to a process, a competitor who lost a challenge nor are they describing a person not holding a public office.  They are used to make others feel bad about their challenges or to boost the accuser when they pop the words like mints.  They are meant to insult and rarely to describe a situation with their original meanings.

Words have meaning, why do we have to use them for less than they deserve?  We have words that are rich and colorful but we are reduced to bastardizing words till they have lost their true meaning.  Be careful of the words you choose.  Words have power.  We’ve given them power by giving them meaning.  We’ve corrupted that power.  It’s time to take that power back.