Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble.
—Yehunda Berg
It has been a while since I have posted to my blog consistently. I feel that I’ve actually had too much to say to say anything at all. Has that ever happened to you? So much is happening in our world. I feel as though I am just now emerging from the fog of processing it all with a renewed sense of understanding and compassion. Though this is not news to very many people: we are living in a very hurting world. There are ethnic, racial, political, social, and economic conflicts hitting us from every angle. Some of these issues are forcing us to face things that we may have thought were water under the bridge, but universal laws are telling us, “Sorry. Think again.” I believe that it is not only time to have some hard conversations, but I also believe that talk alone is tired. I believe it is time for understanding and healing.
Writers have a unique weapon at their disposal that can bring healing to the world. That weapon is the written word. Just like any weapon it can be wielded for good or evil. The right word at the right time can have a huge impact if only on one reader at first, transforming them into a force of change and compassion and producing a ripple effect that can ultimately impact entire cultures and societies. Think about the literary or journalistic pieces some of the most influential people in history and in present times have read that caused them to be who they are.
Writers release healing words when they share their stories—fiction or nonfiction—express their imaginations or convictions, or highlight the lives and stories of others. When writers share these words or messages with the world through books, articles, blogs, or songs and poetry, they create fertile ground for understanding and empathy in the heart of the reader or listener.
Do you think I am being too idealistic? Perhaps. But consider what happens to you when you pick up a book. Do you learn things you didn’t know before? Do you feel emotions regarding the plight of the characters/subjects in the story? Do you travel in your mind to new geographic locations? Do you engage in the customs of cultures different from yours? Do you gain more knowledge about the author of the story? Do you learn about someone else’s motivations or passions? Does your context of understanding people and the world around you expand? Does reading certain things cause you to know more about who you are? Are you challenged to be healthier, kinder, more positive, more confidant, and so on? If you can answer yes to a few of these, then 1) I’ve proved my point and 2) can you imagine how this could happen to readers of your works?
With what we see invading our online news feeds and shoving its way between our regularly scheduled television programming, we need more writers at this time writing with a goal to heal the infinite issues that we are facing.
Sometimes writers are criticized for not writing to trends and not saying what everybody else is saying in some type of unique or gimmicky way, and so they step outside of who they are just to get a byline or a publishing deal. OK, let me slow down. I was about to go in on writers and how they need to stick it to the man and… But I’ll say this: That’s fine, writers, if you want (or need) to do that, but please don’t stop writing the words that can heal the thing that keeps you up at night, the thing that brings tears to your eyes, the think that makes you pound your fist on the table when discussing it with friends. Is it sexual trafficking? Is it religious disunity? Is it race relations? Is it the homelessness or poverty? Is it illiteracy? Is it gender bias? Is it war, crime, or violence? Is it abuse? Get a blog and write. Self-publish an e-book short. Then share the link with your two hundred Facebook friends, and maybe one will read your words and be changed or challenged forever. You never know who that one might be. Heck, you might be that one.
What you write breeds courage to start and finish difficult conversations. What you write challenges the status quo and rebels against harmful traditions. What you write tears down false ideologies. What you write builds bridges and closes gap. What you write increases context and empathy. What you write illuminates what it is hidden in the dark. What you write restores brokenness. What you write unites what has been torn apart. What you write banishes fear. What you write renews hope. What you write sparks faith in the impossible. What you write inspires love. What you write heals.
This post is not about my setting your expectations so you won’t have high hopes for a flourishing writing career. This is my giving a pep talk to myself and any other writer who has the fire of compassion for a cause, an individual, or a group of people who desperately need more than a few advocates. I don’t think it’s possible to exhaust an issue as long as it is an issue. When it’s not an issue anymore, we can all call it a night, go home, and get some sleep. Until then, write.
Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing the issues on my heart that I hope my own writing will help to heal. I will talk about the power of story, what I think story can change, and how I hope we can band together in more storytelling to see a sense of peace, acceptance, and understanding take over our lands.
In the meantime, I challenge you to think of how your writing can play a more significant part in bridging gaps, encouraging meaningful discourse, and increasing our consciousness of others.