“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me” is an old English nursery rhyme. Probably it was coined for children who faced taunts and name calling, to encourage them not to resort to physical force but to walk away and ignore the ignoramus who was doing the taunting. Adages and their origins are interesting and so is this one, but let me tell you, it isn’t true. Words can hurt. They can go deeper than a sword. Words, like votes, matter. They matter a lot.
According to one source, the King James Bible contains 823,156 words. Each one, I believe, is God-inspired and, I’m afraid, ignored by many people. The words in the Bible are there for a reason. They have meaning, they have purpose. They are dependable and true. In these days of shifting mores and questionable causes, these words are a foundation and a bedrock we can hang onto.
As I listen to the news, I am amazed at how words are used to further a political cause. Words are examined, dissected, disinfected, taken apart and put together again to take on whole new meanings. The messages of old words are scoffed at. They reference something entirely different in this day and time of political correctness. They can be bent and twisted entirely out of shape and used as weapons to further a cause. Or, they can be ignored completely.
Words are a writer’s stock in trade. Any writer can tell you that choosing just the right noun or verb or making sure words convey the author’s thoughts is a pain-staking process. Words reflect thoughts and the way we think is the way we are.
As a writer of cozy mysteries, I don’t aspire to pen prose or poetry that re-direct a person’s purpose in life or change the course of history. My purpose is just to give a few hours of escape from the worries of the real world and enter into a make-believe situation…or two or three. And, I hope that the words I write will never harm anyone, but perhaps encourage them in some small way. Books, like people, are made up of many genres (can I use a genre to describe people?) Some might think it strange that a mild-mannered retired kindergarten teacher would take up writing mysteries in her golden years. I don’t find it odd at all. Mysteries make a great deal of sense. They have a beginning, a climax, and a satisfactory ending. I really like the satisfactory ending, especially when I control it! And, any teacher can tell you that she likes to see all those words she has spoken to boys and girls result in contributing to a wholesome, happy and mostly satisfactory young person.
Words. They can indeed hurt, but they can also help, heal, and bring a measure of happiness. They are important tools. Like our hard-earned money, they should be spent wisely.
Excellent.
Thank you, Helen.