The Pen is mightier than the Sword
Written by Jordan Coar (Founder of Xzen Performance Coaching)
“The Pen is mightier than the Sword”— a known maxim stated by Edward Bulwer-Lytton to denote that diplomacy is greater in its effect and utilization than violence as it relates to geopolitical problem solving, but more generally speaking, that writing and thinking have a greater impact and influence than use of force or violence.
When I ponder this quote in a modern context, as it was written in 1839, I strain to weave the meaning behind this quote into the fabric of society, for it has more depth to its denotation than what immediately meets the eye.
For instance, to presuppose that the pen is mightier than the sword would imply that the pen, that delicate instrument of thought and expression, is treated with more care than one’s weaponry, further implicating that we should astutely heed both what is said and who gets to say it, as well as the criteria that would have to be constructed in order to say what you want (determining who gets to say what would violate 1st Amendment rights).
I listened to a debate about possible solutions to gun violence in America, in which the moderator mentioned that in Japan there are 17 steps that must be adhered to in order to legally purchase a firearm. If the pen, or one’s words and thoughts, is mightier than the weaponry in one’s arsenal, how many steps should there be in the process to composing and sharing a tweet? Or to have a podcast?
According to the Gun Violence Archive, between 2014-2019 there was an approximate 35% increase in suicides by gun as compared to deaths by gun (willful, malicious, or accidental killing of one person by another person)1. This means that there are 35% more acts of people killing themselves than people killing other people. Death by suicide is death by someone’s own thoughts and words or someone else’s thoughts and words.
To say that the pen is mightier than the sword in a broader context could lead one to revisit the horrific nature of two World Wars, the attempted extermination of the Jews by Nazi Germany, the millions of people murdered by both Communist USSR and Maoist China, along with the effects of genocides in Africa and the Middle East, all of which happened in just 100 years. What a sobering notion it is to think that words, thoughts, and ideologies have the potential to do more damage, or that they may have already done more damage than the aforementioned heinous atrocities.
I believe the age of impulsion that we live in has lost sight of this prominent adage, and while everyone has preoccupied themselves with violence, or perceived violence from faux oppressors, we have allowed a more dangerous and damaging foe to enter into the collective conscious via a trojan horse through our preoccupation and desensitization to violence.
What if the violence we see is nothing more than a mature manifestation of the words and thoughts we’ve managed to conjure, espouse, and spout? This is why the pen is in fact mightier than the sword: a person’s words and thoughts represent their heart, and the effects of those words and thoughts are not truly known until the damage has been complete.
A sword can be used in self-defense, a perfectly valid reason to use violence. Swords can be used in times of desperation and dire circumstances. Meanwhile, words and thoughts, when weaponized, are heat-seeking missiles programmed to annihilate their targets with no regard for bystanders or after-effects.
In a biblical context, the pen is indistinguishable from the sword. Ephesians 6:17 states, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (NIV). Furthermore, Proverbs 12:18 says, “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (NIV).
Notice the distinction in the second passage from Scripture. While the first passage compares the Word of GOD, and by proxy the Spirit, to a sword, proving that the pen is indistinguishable from the sword, the second passage offers the hermetic effect of the pen. It doesn’t say hurtful words, or words that make one feel uncomfortable, or words that trigger past traumas, it says reckless words are the ones that pierce like swords. It is the uncalculated, unconcerned with consequence words and thoughts that commit damage like swords.
The final way we can examine this quote is intertwined with the hope offered by the second clause of Proverbs 12:18, “but the tongue of the wise brings healing”. How fitting is it that Jesus Christ, the Word (pen) which became flesh, was stabbed with a sword in his side to confirm His death. Since the Word Himself resurrected, overcoming the wound of the sword, so too does our pen, collectively and individually, have the power to overcome the violence, tangible and intangible, our world continues to suffer through.
The Pen is mightier than the Sword
