If someone were to ask me what the most powerful weapon in the world was I would not even stutter before proclaiming “words” as my answer. No I would not say an AK-47 rifle, a military weapon used in warfare, or a bomb capable of sweeping out entire populations within minutes. I would still say words.

We as a nation have moved beyond the old child’s rhyme “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We need to wake up and realize how impact words can be on a human being. These days’ teens are committing suicide because of the venom adolescents spew. People do not even think twice before speaking. Today, words are as disposable as red Solo cups, they aren’t a commodity and people barely think about the impact. It is almost sad to see how much words have become an afterthought of so many Americans.

Words, words do hurt and if you ask me personally sometimes I would rather get a stick thrown at me than have the cruel words jab me that are so much more permanent than a physical scar. The worst part is, with a physical scar people can see you’re hurting. With words, it is an invisible pain, one people will not see unless you speak up. Because the thing about words is that they can completely obliterate a human being. Tearing down every piece of self-confidence they have in their destructive path. And often times the damage is irreversible, unsalvageable and people have to start all over.

The person who said the words is usually unharmed, not bothering to even look at the casualties they caused. So while words may not seem as scary as a gun or bomb, they are nothing short of terrifying. The power people can claim with words is simply astonishing. Just with anything they can be used to build people up or tear them down to the absolute lowest level they have ever been. Even though people constantly tear me down with their words, I continue to choose to build people up.

Words. They are the sole reason for so many problems in the world and I think that is one of the major errors with them. That people underestimate just how much power they can have. Just because it is not a physical weapon does not mean they are any less destructive than a gun, in fact these are the reasons why I believe words are actually more destructive.

As a future journalist, I have this weapon every day and just like with any gun, I can use it for harm or to benefit society and I think it is time we all start using our words a bit more carefully. Don’t you?