The Power of Words: Medicine or Weapon?

By Sophia Fedzhora. Sophia studies at Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University and is interested in music. She lives in Kyiv, Ukraine

What was your first word? “Mum”? “Dad”? Something else? What did you remember when you read these words? There are lots of interesting associations to the each word. Why did this happen?

Every stage in our life, we are accompanied by various words: a house, a garden, a school, a job, a family. Every word has its own meaning, which is laid deeply in our soul. You may have known it or not, but you held one of the main powerful influences on human behaviour – your voice and words!

Only imagine that we hardly ever believe things, which are written on paper. But at the same time we easy will trust words which are told by a human, especially by an authority. How does voice have such a big effect on us? The secret is in a human. There is no exact explanation why it happens. Maybe, we are used to believing and accept it subconsciously.

The following proverb is well known: “Words can heal and words can kill”. What is the meaning? It indicates that words are the powerful force, which should be under control. And careless attitude to this can lead to the danger. What do we observe in our days? Whether you knew it or not, you hold one of the main powerful influences on the human behaviour – your words!

I have one interesting observation. Have you ever noticed how children react to words, especially when you cry? You are right, they start to cry also. What do you think? Why? Because children, as the most innocent creatures, are very sensitive to words as a very powerful force of influence. They feel the change in your voice and don’t like it.

Everybody has been in a difficult situation and has needed help. We don’t require a lot. At least there are humans and words to support us. Sometimes it will be enough. We just need someone, who is ready to help us, listen to us and encourage. Only remember what you felt when you heard a familiar voice, which you had heard a long time ago. What did you imagine? Yes, it calls happiness. If you don’t know how to help a person, just try to talk to him/her – your voice (including singing songs and reading poems) will be the best medicine in all time.

Words have a strong power. It is the first phenomenon which helps us to cognize the world. Moreover, they help us to communicate and understand each other.

Nowadays communication is becoming more and more popular and needed in our globalization era. But there is a very big problem: careless attitude to words. That’s why such phenomenon as lies is also becoming more and more widespread. Everybody who lies must be held accountable for their words. Who knows how a lie effects surrounding people. There are lots of situations where a lie can lead to a misunderstanding or even to fights. Such weapons can cause unbelievable consequences.

Nevertheless, there is one specific thing. People have learned how to lie and at the same time look trustworthy. But…! They have never learned how to control their intonation and tempo rhythm. It will be their lie detector. It concerns the human voice, which can’t deceive.

So, we should remember the power of words and be careful with its use. I consider that they are both medicine and weapon. It depends on the person who is using its force and their aim. We should be responsible about what and where we speak. Be careful, tell the truth and everything will be ok.

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