Shouts From Down Under

The Power of Words

This video demonstrates the power of words, in a humorous way.



Do words really have such power though? Does a word someone typed affect us?

Let's be honest. Just a word on a page doesn't really do anything.

For Example: Lettuce.

Did that do anything? You may have thought of something green, wet hands, pulling leaves off, a salad, snails, like the taste or loathe it.
But did that simple word really have power?

What if a writer went a little further and wrote: Large warm freshly cooked chocolate cake, with icing slowly drooping over the edge, aroma drifting to your nose from the steaming slice that you lift slowly to your mouth, your teeth wide as you bite down.

I suppose that's a bit better if you like cake and aren't trying to diet.
It has some power because of a few more words, descriptors, phrases pushing more buttons in your senses.

Ok, what if someone wrote words with power behind them. Say they wrote this sentence and it's in a letter addressed to you personally. You have no doubt at all that you are the target, no one else. If you rang them on the phone, they, the writer, would explain that yes, it is you they are referring to in the words. How would you feel about the power now? (Wuss reader, harden up douche bag)

Here's what they wrote:

I feel nauceous every time I think of you, and remember how false and weak you are, I remember how ugly your mother is, and how she told me that you were the worst child she's ever raised. She hates you, and wished the brief moment of love she felt when you were conceived would be taken back, because you don't deserve anything from her. Your mother hates you even more now because I gave her all the letters you wrote to your children, all the lies, the false promises, the fake love, the money grubbing back stabbing things you said about your mother behind her back.

I also phoned all your children, one at a time, even though they are grown adults now, and I told their wives and husbands all the stuff you've said about them. I also sent them copies of the media articles of how miserable you are, and posted copies of all this stuff to a lawyer who will open ii in the event of my death. He will send an individually sealed envelope by insured post, straight to each of your siblings, children and grandchildren.


They also will learn who you really are, who your mother was, and all the reasons why they'll hate you too in the future, forever.
Oh, by the way, I've conned your mother into having a relationship with me, even though I hate her worse than you, because she'll change herwill so that I get everything. When I see her eyes about to close in death, at the nursing home, I'll mention in the last possible second how much I hate you, your family, and her.

Yes I'll tell her how much I'll enjoy spending all her money, wrecking all your marriages, and taking away anything of value that her grandchildren might have still thought about her.

Is that a more powerful use of words? It has a sort of impact I suppose. I tried to pack in the worst, most hurtful and insulting, demeaning and nasty things I could think of in 20 seconds of writing. Hey. It wasn't meant to be a knitting party.

So, is there a way, are there ways to express things with even more power? Can we draw on every trick we can think of, have ever heard of, currently know, to bring to the reader all the power available in a few simple words.

Yes, I beleive we can definitely do this.

Words do have power.

A power available, that if we don't understand it's immensity, then we could do untold damage without even trying.

Much like a child sitting in a Chevy Impala, turning the key, hearing that sweet crackle as they rev the whatsy out of the donk, then engage the drive and flatten the accelorator to the mat.

And they don't open the roller door, or prepare in any way to drive it. It hits the roller door, smashes it clean off the lintel plates, rips the brickword down as the Chevy smokes up the driveway, car roaring totally out of control across the thankfully deserted street to then connect bluntly with the neighbors front fence.

That's quickly turned to pulp as the Chevy, not used to this sort of treatment, becomes airborne, the entire car demolishing the bedroom wall and part of the bathroom, window glass raining down...etc...etc.

All that has a certain power that's...yes...has an effect, but is bulky, wordy, out of control, and like going to the corner shop by booking a flight to Sydney and back.

We could express someone's grief, of monumental dimensions, like that verse, the shortest in the Bible. Just two words in The Gospel of John: Chapter 11, Verse 35.

Jesus wept.

I'm wondering how I could come up with such power, in so few words.
See, people could look at words, phrases, sentences that are very short and say, Well, so what? What's the big deal?

Well, the big deal is in the understanding of what is being put across. And with this verse, I feel probably like many other people who read it, this wasn't just some guy called Jesus letting go of his emotions.

No, in its context, and in the context of the book of books containing the verse, the overall meaning and picture expressed is vast. Yes I know, depending on belief and all that. But putting that aside.

Here is God's son, the only one, who left a place of unimaginable pleasantness, peace and love, knowing he was going to a wilderness to save people, who over the centuries of time, since the beginning of all this being created, have lost their closeness with their heavenly, spiritual father, they now only believed in the father that they can handle, touch with their hands, their natural living flesh and blood Dad.

They were so far away in their way of thinking, so deliberately avoiding thinking of him, that God could no longer communicate with them.

Have you ever tried having a meaningful conversation with someone who doesn't beleive in you? I attempt this all the time. In desperation I try to be vocal about what I'm writing about in my novels etc and, I'm telling you, when people don't beleive in you, forget it.

You are wasting your time. You really are throwing your pearls before swine.

They haven't a clue if you've used good grammar, punctuation, and spelling, let alone written something enthralling, gripping, compelling or convincing.

It was God's plan from the beginning. It was a big deal. But it wasn't a mistake.

He intended to send his only son, to be the saviour of the world's errant people, every single one ever born, and ever will be born, the whole time.

And he did. He came to earth to save mankind. Jesus was born to Mary, and his dismayed but accepting pseudo father Joseph.

As an author, I hardly need to tell you, that you couldn't make this stuff up. Fiction was never this...unbeleivable. Never this amazing.

So, Jesus comes all the way to earth, via being born to Mary, does all the hard yards, makes a completely unpopular person of himself with his annoying instructions directly from God*, and eventually after quite a few debates with people who thought they knew more about the rules of access to heaven than him.

Jesus was convicted by false witness, tried for no clear crime, convicted and sentenced to be scourged (just a warm up fish hook test) dressed in a humiliating coloured robe, and nailed to a cross in the most excruciating and delayed manner of death that the Romans could think of at the time. Even at this time, he said, Father forgive them etc.

They released the real murderer by popular vote.
And this was all done by the religious leaders of the day.

*(no need to go through some intermediary by the way, in case you've been sucked in to thinking you can't contact God for yourself. No $$ are needed, contrary to the convenient "advice" put forth by your friendly local second hand blessing salesman.)

So looking back at the overall story, the backstory to the two word verse, here he is, the actual only son of the most high, does all this stuff and puts himself out quite a bit, even so far as living a life of apology for even coming to earth.

Their (our) answer to this?
Mankind (which does include you and me by the way) yes, ladies as well, our answer to all this benevolence was either,

A. What a crock of whatsy, we don't beleive any of it. No, the world just happened by accident.
We'd rather beleive the most crazy unlikely and empty desolate comfortless man made theories, we'd rather beleive all that, even after seeing the flowers, seeing the gentle raindrops falling from thousands of tons of water floating around up in the sky, seeing the newborn babies and their fingers, seeing the abundance of natural beauty, crops, fruit, scenery, animals, I could go on and on and on as you know.

We'd rather beleive the most ridiculous things...anything rather than simply beleive someone would give their sons life for a bunch of murderers.

Or B, we don't like that you preach love, kindness and being obedient, so we'll get rid of you by false trial, killing you etc.

Ok. I'm just explaining a possible understanding, that anyone could come to that read the bible.

And then finally reach that verse in the early parts of the new testament, the last of the gospels, the two words like the blades of scizzors coming together as you read them.

Jesus wept.

Is it any wonder?

Well, when I attempt to think up a subject or prompt for the most powerful picture I can paint from the least amount of words, I'm not sure if it's a man thing; my wife would say, yes it is, that all I can think of is food. My stomach.

So, it would have to weild immense power (the words, not the stomach), enough impact to flood your mouth with appetite whetting saliva, if I just said the words,

Hot Chilli

Sparky