“Your words carry amazing power. So, when you speak make sure you uplift someone and never put them down.” Anonymous
Words spoken can carry enormous weight and power.
Think back to Sept. 11, 2001. The United States was left shocked and horrified when we watched two airplanes crash into the World Trade Center towers. Then into the Pentagon. Then we heard of another airplane crashing in a field in Pennsylvania, destined for the White House.
People were confused, angry and scared — tremendously scared.
But that fear turned into something greater on this day 22 years later.
During a visit to Ground Zero armed with a bullhorn, then-President George W. Bush decided to say a few encouraging words to the emergency workers digging through the rubble around the clock to find survivors. He raised the bullhorn and told them that Americans across the nation were praying for them and mourning the loss of thousands of fellow Americans.
Then someone from the crowd yelled out, “GEORGE, WE CAN’T HEAR YA’!”
What followed was an impromptu sentence by Bush that became a rallying cry for courage and stiff-necked patriotism across the nation:
“I can hear you,” said Bush. “I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you – and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.”
Bush would soon prove to be a man of his word.
He went before the U.S. Congress and the world and rallied support for what would officially become known as the Global War on Terrorism. Military recruiting numbers skyrocketed in response. The national call to action was met with overwhelming support.
A little over a year later, the people who knocked down the World Trade Center buildings indeed heard us, louder and clearer than they probably had anticipated.
Military leaders who would have retired with little fanfare a few years later became household names: names like Franks, Mattis, Mullen, McChrystal and Petraeus.
Technological advancements soared during this time period. No line of work has witnessed this more than the medical field. Easy-to-use tourniquets, fibrin blood-clotting bandages, golden hour blood containers and prosthetics are just a few of the improvements that came about during the war, according to Task and Purpose.
Several network technologies also surfaced as a result of the war, according to New Atlas. The war also ushered great advancements in equipment and warfighting technologies.
All of this and more launched, all set in motion by a sentence.
Words have always been celebrated for their power, through such phrases as “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Christians celebrate God’s words as being the force behind all created things: “God said … and it was so.” Philosophers and poets celebrate words’ ability to change a people’s mind, to inspire hope, to build or destroy societies.
How often these days do we forget this? How often do we speak without thoughtfulness? How often do we react with our tongues unleashed?
In an effort to inspire respect for what we say and why we say it, on this day when a president inspired a nation to courage, let us think about these famous quotes below, taken from 50 Inspirational Quotes On The Power Of Words | AwakenTheGreatnessWithin. Let us speak only the choicest words:
“Language creates reality. Words have power. Speak always to create joy.” Deepak Chopra
“Words have a magical power. They can either bring the greatest happiness or the deepest despair.” Sigmund Freud
“Words create worlds.” Pierre du Plessis
“There is power in words. What you say is what you get.” Zig Ziglar
“Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.” Buddha
“Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out.” Anonymous
“Never underestimate the power of words to heal and reconcile relationships.” H. Jackson Brown
“If you believe in the power of words, you can bring about physical changes in the universe.” H. Scott Momaday
“The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Anonymous
And finally, mind your speech when you speak your mind.
| Date Taken: | 09.14.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.21.2023 19:05 |
| Story ID: | 460626 |
| Location: | FORT KNOX, KY, US |
| Web Views: | 26 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, OPINION: With great power in words there is great responsibility, by Eric Pilgrim, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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