The Power of Words

Words are a truly fascinating, powerful thing. How can it be that combinations of symbols can have so much influence? Words give power to the one who uses them. They give us the power to create, to influence, to persuade, to motivate, to demean, to inspire. We can do anything if we have the right words. Some of the most influential people in history were successful because of their control of language. Martin Luther King Jr. changed our nation with the power of his speech. Jesus brought millions of people to faith with his sermons. J.K. Rowling created an entire generation of readers with her stories. Hitler spearheaded a genocide with the influence of his speeches.

I recently read The Book Thief. The author, Markus Zusak, has an incredible talent with words and created one of the best-written books I've ever read. The entire story focuses on reading, writing, and words. The young girl, Liesel, spends years learning the written language. She risks her freedom to steal books because she understands just how important the words and stories they contain are. She calms a room of terrified people simply by reading. And in the end, she realizes that the entire war, the Holocaust, all of the devastation, resulted from words. Hitler's words. On page 521, it reads:
             
                "The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn't be any of this.                       Without words, the Fuhrer was nothing. What good were the words?"

Words have the power to create and the power to destroy. Words can create beautiful worlds, captivating stories, lovable characters, worthy causes. But words can also motivate people to do terrible things. Words give people the power of persuasion, and it can be successful whether they are persuading people to do good or bad. Language is something we often take for granted. We don't recognize just how special it is. Those who recognize the power and the potential of the words are the ones who have the most influence.