"Without words, without writing and without books, there would be no history, there could be no concept of humanity.— Hermann Hesse
German Poet, Novelist and Painter
1877 - 1962
We often take for granted the words we speak and the words we write. We are so busy with our lives that we fail to give thanks for one of the most important things that human beings share — language. Without language, communication would be much more difficult and we probably would not have achieved many of inventions that have been created. And at the heart of language are the words we speak and write. Writers understand the power of words and the importance of choosing the perfect word for the moment. The wrong word used at the wrong time has destroyed lives.
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| Ticino Landscape (1920) |
And words have such power that we have made some words off limits. Polite society does not say certain words. And many today strive to be political correct and when our TV and radio personalities cross the line, they are fired or forced to resign for saying certain words. The old saying that sticks and stones will hurt my bones but words will never harm is simply not true. We all have stored in our memory banks words that were said by some authority figure like a parent or teacher that have emotionally harmed us for years and decades.
It is time to celebrate the power of words and language. It is time we give writers their due. They spend a lifetime working with words — seeking to understand and communicate that which is best in each of us. It is time to believe in the great gift we have been given — language.
