“In the Beginning was the Word…”. And so begins one of the most profound and famous passages in the history of human literature (Gospel of John 1:1). John, an apostle of Christ, equates the Greek term “logos” for the very first time with God Himself and even more, with God stepping into human history and taking the form of a man, Jesus Christ.
Over the last five centuries, the term logos, meaning “word”, “reasoned discourse” or a “well thought-out argument” had become the governing principle by which the Greeks understood existence itself and the workings of the world. To them logos referred not just to a spoken word, but also the unspoken word still in the mind, that forms the rational basis by which the universe operates. In contrast, the Hebrews (the Jewish people) saw the Word as an expression of God Himself. Through God’s spoken words, the universe was created and all things came to be (Genesis 1). Thus, the word acted as an agent of creation itself. John elevates this concept in both Hebrew and Greek philosophy, by now synthesizing both of these ideas in the person of Christ.
So what relevance does this have to this current blog? Words have played an important role throughout human history. Words can be used to incite hatred, dissension, wars, but may also be used to bring healing, comfort, and peace. Words provide the sauce that undergirds reason and the development of rational foundations that form the bedrock of society. History is rife with examples of how words have influenced human civilization either towards progress, peace, and harmony or towards confusion, division, and violence. Words such as the Ten Commandments, the Magna Carta, or the Constitution of the United States provide the moral foundation that form the basis of laws for many people. Sacred writings such as the Torah, the Bible, the Vedas, the Quran and other holy books have influenced generations, bringing purpose, direction, and comfort. The writings of Plato, Socrates, Philo, Augustine and many others have directed the course of nations. And those of others such as Dante, Luther, Gandhi and Marin Luther King Jr. have rebuked the consciences of Sovereigns and kings. Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolstoy and others have stoked the fires of our imaginations. And Galileo, Copernicus and Darwin have enabled us to plumb the depths of knowledge. Words can have so much power. And while they can have power to enhance knowledge and bring healing, they also have power to hurt and kill. Must one even mention works such as Mein Kampf and others in the same breath as the ones above? Or words repurposed from the writings above to kill, destroy, and commit genocide? Or even the tabloid journalism of today that thrives on gossip, slander, and false witness?
Throughout human history, we have had the choice to use words as a force for good rather than evil, to promote peace and diplomacy amongst nations, instead of division and war, to reach far beyond the boundaries of human knowledge through reason and discourse, and elevate the status of every human being. This is what I choose to do in this blog.
In 1839, the English novelist and playwright, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, coined the term, “The pen is mightier than the sword”, in his historical play Cardinal Richelieu. Richelieu, a minister to French King Louis XIII, discovers a plot to kill him, but as a priest is unable to take up arms against his enemies. His page, Francois, points out: But now, at your command are other weapons, my good Lord. Richelieu agrees:
The pen is mightier than the sword. Behold
The arch-enchanters wand!— itself a nothing!—
But taking sorcery from the master-hand
To paralyse the Cæsars—and to strike
The loud earth breathless!—
Take away the sword; States can be saved without it!
While Bulwer-Lytton coined the exact phrase, the idea, as discussed above, has been a bedrock principle for centuries. And while in his play, Richelieu employs it for not the most noble of purposes, the message is still the same. We have a choice. Will we choose the pen or the sword? I hope we always choose the pen: words, reason, and diplomacy. And when we do choose the pen, will we choose it as a sword for good (Letter to the Hebrews 4:12) or to tear down and destroy? As I traverse the pages of the internet, the theme continues to remain the same: words that pull down, belittle, bully, shame and demean others; ideas that are never discussed because of prejudices, bias, preconceived notions, or political affiliations; glee at seeing others shamed; communities and friends torn apart on social media.
I wish instead that we could reason and discuss, that we could listen and agree to disagree, that we could win over friends through persuasion or be willing to be persuaded ourselves. This is the spirit in which I start this blog. I hope I will have the courage to aspire to these ideals myself and in the process inspire others to do so as well.
Picture: Courtesy, Olia Danilevech. I used this picture to convey these twofold thoughts: that the expression of ideas begins early and that the pen in the hands of a child portrays innocence and purity.
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