The Wonder Of Words
Words. They’re all around us. Everywhere we go. One of the few things man has created that are as inescapable as they are necessary. And as the only true sentient being on this planet called Earth, words are one of the few things man alone possesses which our survival actually depends on.
We can recognise words before we take our first stumbling steps. We can associate a word to an object before we can gift our parents with one of the moments they wait for from the day we are born — that proud, happy, wondrous instant wherein a child says her very first word.
Why is the moment so great? Why are words so important?
Verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, prepositions. There are a plethora of terms available to describe what a word is, its action, its function, but none of those definitions answer the question. None of them tell us why a small child saying ‘ball’ for the first time in her life can bring tears to her parents eyes.
Words have power. A near immeasurable amount. Written, spoken, signed or touched, every word has the chance to have an effect. Hate. Love. Death. Life. Despair. Hope. Behind every word lurks the power to hurt and to wound, to lift up and to inspire.
It is our ability to understand and solve complex problems that separates us from the beasts. Our ability to feel a myriad of emotions. The fact we are aware of our existence. That we can think, reason, learn, grow, invent, build.
However, it takes very little for a person to be considered beastly. All one must do is dive into the part of themselves that knows what words will tear down and injure. To chose the wrong words, forget that words are a powerful tool and should be wielded with care.
We are human, we’re imperfect, we’ll never use words to the utmost of their potential but that should not stop us from trying. It should not stop us from treasuring the gift we’ve been given in words and using it to the best of our ability.
It’s certainly never stopped me.
