Have you ever heard the saying, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,"? It was meant to help children who were being victimized by their peers. The problem is, it's completely bogus. Words definitely hurt. Don't get me wrong, I understand the person who came up with this adage was probably trying to help a bullied child, but who ever he was, he was a big fat liar.
Words are the most powerful things in this world. A few stringed together can bring tears to peoples' eyes, ruin a reputation, or make someone's day. In the wrong hands, words can destroy a person's confidence, happiness, even their will to live. But when used in the right way, they have the capability to build a person into something amazing- to give a person exactly what he or she needs to save lives, help those less fortunate, and ultimately change the world.
The incredible influence a few words can have on society is exactly why I believe authors are the most powerful individuals on this Earth. Authors have used their gifts to speak on social injustice, common societal issues, and to help the world remember the history we have created.
Harper Lee, Shakespeare, Markus Zusak, Cassandra Clare, Laurie Halse Anderson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Maya Angelo, Plato, Dr. Seuss. They each have torn my heart in twp, scrambled my mind, brought out my inner child, inspired my soul, and dug into my very being. Their weapon of choice: pen and paper.
We, as readers, are subjected to the will of authors. They sew us into another world using nothing more than their words as needles. As our minds begin to transform the author's words into detailed pictures, the scripted emotions of their fictional characters morph into reality. The joy, fear, and love written on those pages leaps into our minds and invade our hearts.
The words of authors allow us to, in a way, experience events our lives do not permit. They give us the opportunity to open our hearts to the pain and sorrow humans have exposed one another to. I could never live in Nazi Germany, but Anne Frank ripped my heart from my chest, shred it to pieces, returned it to me, then asked me how I was going to live with what humanity had done.
There are individuals in the world who have the ability to compile words into a format that sends chills through our bodies and a yearning ache in our chests. There are many with this ability we wouldn't think to call authors right away. Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Jefferson, Oprah, Biblical Prophets. They each have inspired nations. However, you don't need to inspire nations to be inspirational. Authors take many forms and express themselves through various settings. I've been brought to tears by something as small as a Facebook post.
It doesn't matter where you write or in what format. If you can break someone's heart, cause them to think, make them change, all with written word, you are an author. I wonder if you even realize how much power you possess.
