The Power of Words

  There is no power on earth more powerful than words. It is words that are the greatest influence on mankind, and there is none greater than that of language and the use of words. For it is the use of words that inspire men and women to the greatness and honor of good, and also to the evil that men do. Men do not pick up the weapons of war and go about killing each other, and commit incredible acts of violence and cruelty against one and other without being inspired by the words and thoughts of their leaders. Their words being the source of the peoples willingness to engage in war and the atrocities that comes from war. The incredible acts of violence and hatred toward another people must first come from the people who the people look to as their leaders. Throughout all of human history, it is the well crafted words of evil people that ultimately lead to unspeakable acts of depraved violence between one people against another. Madmen like Adolph Hitler and so many other historical tyrants were gifted orators, with the ability to use soaring rhetoric to inspire their people to violence, and left unchecked, will ultimately lead to the atrocities committed against a people like we saw against the Jewish people in the second World War, and the beheadings and atrocities committed by the modern day Islamic extremists today. Conversely, it is also the use of words and the crafting of language that can stir the hearts of people to rise above the teachings of hatred and the violence taught by those who are evil. Sadly, because of the human condition, that was first shown when Cain killed his brother Abel, it is far easier to use people's natural tendencies to fear people who are different from them, than it is to inspire the best of humankind. People in general, all of us, left to our natural urges and fears, are selfish and self indulged, to the point that we see ourselves and those who think as we do, as being more important than those who we see as different. Thankfully there are others who are much different than the tyrants who care only about their selfish ambitions, and look always to divide the people against one and other to accomplish their evil goals. Strangely, for whatever reason, history recalls the lives and actions of these evil people more so than the few who stand with honor against such tyranny. Most probably because the tyrants of the world look to impose a group think mentality, as did Hitler with the German people, rather than those who look to embolden people to be individuals and think freely and for themselves. Evil thinking people always look to use our natural state of being social beings as the way to introduce a group think mentality, where free thinking people look to champion individuality and free thought, and allow the individual to choose others who are of like mind on their our own volition. By nature, not only are we a social type people, as we think ourselves to be safer in groups and that there is strength in numbers, but it is by this very nature that those who are evil exploit that desire as a weakness. Indeed, individuality and free thought is the enemy of centralized forms of government such as socialism and communism, which can only survive in a group think mentality. Where in our form of government, a Democratic Republic, individuality and entrepreneurship is encouraged along with the growth that such a form of government encourages, namely capitalism that is so despised by the left. 

  Our forefathers who looked to free us from the tyranny that a central government, in our case being a king, also knew, that absolute power corrupts absolutely. And so in their wisdom, looked to form a government where the people had the power, and instilled the only real leader that such a free people could have, that being God. All of our most precious national documents, set in motion on the founding of this great nation, reference God as the only real authority over the people, assuring that we were a free people under God, with certain inalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that though we were free individuals and equal by law, that we were one people, under God. So then, what is the power of words? Perhaps it was best said by the apostle John (chapter1, vs. one), in his accounting of the beginning from the book of Genesis. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God".  Our founding fathers knew this, as did Abraham Lincoln later on, and as did in modern times, men like Dr. Martin Luther King, and the most recent great American leader to leave us, Billy Graham. And if we are to continue to be that beacon of freedom to all the world, we must return to our roots, we must return to God.