The power of words and their influence on us

        The wonders of science in our present age have even bewildered the greatest magicians and sorcerers of the past and present age. The scientific inventions we use in our daily life have completely transformed our living standard. Thanks to them, there is world of difference between our past and present. It’s all magic. It’s all unbelievable. Yet, it is not greatest power at man’s disposal. The greatest power a man possesses is words. Surprised! Difficult to believe! But, it’s fact. Yes, it’s words, and only words.

        Words are wonderful mental manipulators. Professor John Tyndal, the English scientist, used to tell about the psychology of words used by his servant. Each morning, the elderly man would knock at the door and say: “Arise, Sir. It is nearly seven O’clock. You have great work to do this day!” See the power of words. They stimulate, inspire and motivate us to use our energy to the fullest to gain maximum. Encouraging words can do wonders for us. Our kind words can refresh and energize the people and give them fillip to do great and constructive work, sometimes even beyond their power and capacity. Good words gladden hearts and harsh words sadden and disappoint the listeners. We should not forget that a person can do his work with a broken hand, but not with a broken heart. Words of praise and admiration are indeed magical. Most of us love to be praised, appreciated and admired. Genuine praise and applause motivate us to work harder than ever. A singer, even if he is not paid handsomely, can sing a whole night if he/she finds an appreciative and discerning audience. A teacher can go on giving his lectures provided his class in attentive and appreciative.

           Words are of different kinds, affecting and influencing our life beyond our expectations. Sometimes, we fail to grasp their true power and how they affect our lives. We have different sort of words: Words of wisdom, words of humor, hate, love and thanks. Dynamic and resplendent words, Soft, persuasive, gentle and kind words, words of science, words of heaven and hell, glory and defeat. With these so many kinds of words, one can imagine how effective and valuable these words can prove to be provided they are effectively and efficiently controlled and used to out great advantage.

            Strange enough, most of us are unaware of the power of words and their effective use to make the most of them to be successful in our life. We hardly give the words their due importance. We are supposed to have good understanding of the words we use daily in both our written and spoken language. We must try to understand the meaning of words and use them accordingly. When someone asked Confucius the meaning of the word “Virtue”, the sage said: “Five things constitute virtue. They are courtesy, magnanimity, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness. With courtesy you avoid insult. With magnanimity you win all. With sincerity men will come to trust you. With earnestness and kindness you can achieve success.”

              Words have immense power to transform our life. What we need is to grasp their power to use them to our own advantage and to improve our relations with the people we come into contact. By using good, soft and pleasant words we can win the hearts of people and get their love, sincerity, devotion and dedication in return. Sweet words can make our world a happy Eden where nothing but love and peace reign supreme.