My brother posted the following on his site:
Words are so immensly powerful, do you think their effect is at all comparable with that of chemicals? Basically- does the power of words and language rival that of drugs?
So I thought I'd respond.
I believe that words are much more powerful than chemicals. Chemicals are much harder to distribute, their effects are generally short term, and the process for creating them is limited. However, your average two year old has access to several hundred words, and can use them to affect not only himself, but those around him. Very few chemicals can influence the will of people with any reliablity, yet words affect people constantly. How much influence has beer had on your life? Weed? Nicotine? Caffiene? Most people would say at least one of these has affected their life in some way. But how much effect does the Constitution had on your life? The Declaration of Independence? Even the Magna Carta, or Hamurabi's Code of Laws still affect us every day, in nearly everything we do. Hitler didn't have to drug people to get them to follow his twisted vision, he used words. Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Ghandi, and so many other great people are known for the power of their words. Dow and Pfiser can't begin to touch that kind of power. The power of words is a lasting power. Chemicals are not. That's why I write these things. That's why you read them.
Leave a Comment
Before leaving a comment, please ensure you have read and understand my comments policy and my privacy policy. Any comment that does not abide by the comment policy will be deleted immediately.