The English words "The pen is mightier than the sword" were first written by novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, in his historical play "Cardinal Richelieu."
In this play, Richelieu, chief minister to King Louis XIII, discovers a plot to kill him — but as a priest, he is unable to use a sword against his enemies. He learns that there are other weapons than swords and that the pen is mightier than the sword.
This is why I write.
I don't need a sword to fight my battles. I've learned that writing allows me to fight my battles more positively.
When my grandfather passed away from lung cancer, I wrote a poem about his hands. Maybe it was to distract myself so that I didn't cry. Perhaps I did it to focus on the happy memories, instead of the loss of life.
Writing helped me accept losing my grandfather to lung cancer.
Writing without limitations, just jotting down my thoughts without worrying about whether it makes sense, my spelling or if it is grammatically correct is liberating. I can write and be petty, knowing that I can erase or delete what I have written.
I can escape to another world where my pen is my sword and I can conquer anything that comes my way.
Instead of keeping my true feelings imprisoned, I can slay them with my pen.
Yes, life can be cruel. But I can write so many beautiful things that it outweighs the bad. I can say, "Yeah, but..." and write about the things that I am thankful for.
It's amazing how taking the time to write down the things that someone does that you're thankful for can change your perception of them. Even if you start with, "I'm thankful that they are unique." It's not extremely positive, but it's not negative unless you add a negative clause to it.
Find someone you don't get along with and try writing three things about them that you're thankful for. I bet you'll be able to write more than three once you get started.
If you can't bring yourself to write anything positive about someone else, write about the negative. Then try to see how those negative things could be positive from another perspective. Maybe someone's outburst was their way of venting and letting go of a problem.
Scratch out the negative in a situation and write in the positive.
Even when you don't have the words to write, find another way to use a pen. Doodle some random scribbles, write your name repeatedly or even twirl it around your fingers.
I've learned that I can fight my own battles while helping others fight their own battles along the way. Writing about my own experiences allows others to see how I'm fighting my battles and may inspire someone else to fight their own battles.
I'll pick a pen over a sword any day.
