We don't mince words

It has been said that the pen is mightier than the sword. History has many examples of times where words became the weapons of choice of many famous leaders. Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. both used inspirational speeches to rally people to their causes. The beginnings of the U.S. government we know today were debated about in the Federalist papers. Even hate groups have wielded their verbal swords to attempt to spread their venom or incite fear in their targets. Words are an open display of power.\nYet the power of words doesn't lie in the words themselves, it's what the words are used for. \nThe pen is mightier than the sword because the pen tells the sword what to do. \nIn a way, sentences can pack more of a punch than a cannon, and the right words at the right time can alter the course of the world. \nWords are the fuel for actions, and actions are what change the world, change the system, or change the status quo. Words are to actions as gasoline is to a car. The car is designed to have the potential to move, but the gasoline makes it go. Action without instruction is useless. Words serve to guide action down a particular path. Consequently, one's choice of words can determine what, if anything, takes place in their lives. Fights don't just start out of nowhere, and wars don't happen on their own. Sometime, somewhere, some ill feelings and malicious statements had to have been shared for the feeling to escalate into violence. In not-so-tense situations, the pen can determine how people react to a given situation, or what they think of a topic or issue. Words have great influence over the masses if applied correctly, yet they can also be construed to make one person stand out in a crowd.\nWords can cut deep, yet words can also heal the oldest wounds and make amends where there hasn't been peace before.\nThe opinion writers here at the IDS do their best to make their words count. The position that they have is an interesting one -- they get to put their own personal slant on the news. The remainder of the newspaper has to be objective in its coverage, but the opinion page is a veritable intellectual free-for-all; a free and open forum for the expression of ideas.\nBut the columnists aren't the only people who can speak here in this section. Anyone, no matter who they are or where they are can write in to the opinion page and voice their complaints, concerns, or support for anything they want. The Jordan River Forum and Student Voice sections are open to anyone who wants to write their opinion, and guest columnists are often featured on the page. Do you have a complaint about a University policy? Tell us. You think one of the columnists or reviewers is mistaken? Write in and explain what you think. Your words are just as powerful, if not more powerful, than ours.\nSo for 2003, get out your swords and get ready to write.