Words Are More Powerful Than Guns

WORDS ARE MORE
POWERFUL THAN
GUNS – Words can incite hatred or
inspire greatness
I have absolutely no doubt that words Communication plays a tremendous role in

can change the world. I get irritated human affairs. It serves as a means of
when people dismissively wave their cooperation and as a weapon of conflict. With
hand and say, "that's just words." I'm a it, people can solve problems, erecting the
writer. I use words every day. I write towering structures of science and poetry --
books full of and talk themselves into insanity and social
confusion.
Words are more powerful than guns. Violence Says noted communication scholar Lee Thayer:
begins -- and ends -- in communication. At the It isn't exactly that we humans are made of
level of youth violence, many acts of youth words. But we are made of what we can make
violence are initiated when one person feels with words -- ideas, images, hopes, theories,
they've been disrespected or "dissed." Verbal fears, plans, understandings, expectations,
violence usually precedes and then love, a past and a future, culture, ways of
accompanies physical violence. For every seeing, civilizations, minds -- everything
person suffering physical violence, there are human. We are at once the source and the
hundreds suffering the effects of verbal product of how we comprehend the world, and
violence. For every person who just got a fist inof how we express ourselves in it.
the face, there are hundreds who just took a
verbal punch in the gut. And sums up human communication pioneer
Colin Cherry:
There are major differences between verbal Words can arouse every emotion: awe, hate,
and physical violence. A physical attack is terror, nostalgia, grief... Words can demoralize
obvious and unmistakable. It hurts and often a person into torpor, or they can spring a
leaves a visible mark. Verbal violence is person into delight; they can raise him to
different. Except in certain public heights of spiritual and aesthetic experience.
circumstances like a court of law, there's no Words have frightening power.
group or body you can call for help. The pain of Through communication we develop our own
verbal violence goes deep to the self and humanity and build the bonds that make
festers there. Because nothing shows on the communities. When we cease to talk, we break
surface, you can't expect much sympathy or the fragile web that is community and make it
even actual assistance. Worst of all, verbal virtually impossible to learn from each other.
violence often goes unrecognized, except at a Without communication, ignorance leads to
level you probably may not even understand misunderstanding, and misunderstanding all
yourself. too often leads to violence.
If words can hurt, they can also heal. Think of Much has been written about the need for new
the four words, "I have a dream." The moment patterns of communication in our society.
they enter your mind, you know who said them There's deep dissatisfaction with the traditional
-- and why. They are a call to action and a call ways of dealing with conflict, from argument to
to find the best part of ourselves. They are a debate to lawsuits to violence. There's a
part of history. While the person who originally growing feeling that there has to be a better
spoke them may have been silenced, the wordsway. Part of that better way involves using the
live on with a capacity to change the world words and skills of constructive conflict
through all those who embrace them. Words resolution. The goal isn't to eliminate vigorous
are definitely more powerful than guns. dissent, but to make dissent possible -- by
replacing violence and avoidance with rich
Think of other particularly powerful words: relationships that can tolerate productive
thank you; I'm sorry; I love you; hope; trust; disagreement.
courage; peace. It is through words that we
create our lives and our world, that we choose Whenever people communicate with each
what to pay attention to and make real. other, there is much at stake. The usual model
Speech communication professor Irving J. Lee for understanding interpersonal communication
saw communication as fundamental: is the mechanical sender-receiver model. We
describe individuals as sending and receiving own words. Empower them to use words to
"messages." This model ignores much of the create a meaningful life story for themselves,
complexity in human communication. to connect with others, and to make a positive
Communication is the process of creating difference.
meaning, the process through which we
construct and navigate our lives. We may need It is words which incite people to commit acts
a completely different, courageous model of of violence just as it is words which can unite
communication in order to get where we want and heal. Words have tremendous power. So
to go. A number of researchers have shown it's important to encourage thought and
how principles of jazz improvisation can dialogue... while at the same time watching
provide promising models for relationships. your words.
While remaining attentive to and respectful of words. I know the power of words.
some basic rules of music, jazz players
constantly challenge themselves to innovate
without alienating the others. Well-worn riffs © SV Bosak, www.legacyproject.org
are called "comps," which is short for
"competency traps," and a player who chooses
them is seen as weak. Unlike the usual pattern
in relationships, jazz musicians "fail" when they
stay with what's safe and known. We must
think beyond "sending messages."
The way we communicate every day in our

family becomes a model for our children.
In How To Talk So Kids Can Learn at Home and
in School, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
comment:
It occurred to us that we had an additional
responsibility to today's generation of children.
Never before have so many young people been
exposed to so many images of casual cruelty.
Never before have they witnessed so many
vivid demonstrations of problems being solved
by beatings or bullets or bombs. Never before
has there been such an urgent need to provide
our children with a living model of how
differences can be resolved with honest and
respectful communication. That's the best
protection we can give them against their own
violent impulses. When the inevitable moments
of frustration and rage occur, instead of
reaching for a weapon, they can reach for
the words they've heard from the important
people in their lives.
Delinquent behavior is considered "acting out"
by psychologists. To teach young people how
to express in words what they feel is to help
them "speak out" rather than "act out" conflicts
at school and at home. To teach children how
to communicate to find alternative solutions to
a problem helps them to recognize that they
have options in their lives.
Sharing books is one of the most powerful

ways to bring the richness and complexity of
words into your home to explore their power.
The words in a book can spark the imagination,
stir the soul, introduce new ideas, and offer
delight. The words in a book will also spark
other words in conversations with a parent or
teacher. Talk freely with children about a book,
about the words, the pictures, the values, the
ideas in it. Empower young people to use their

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WORDS ARE MORE

I have absolutely no doubt that words Communication plays a tremendous role in

The way we communicate every day in our

Sharing books is one of the most powerful

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