The Power Of The Pen

"THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD". This isn't anything you haven't heard before. Infact, it's one of the very 1st quotations we learn in our lives. Though this actually implies that it's profitable to be educated than brave or able to fight, that no one can defeat a learned person, it has many a times been interpreted over and over with each interpretation chopping away a little of the positivity it was intended to convey. Written by Edward Bulwer Lytton for a play of his, this phrase has appeared in textbooks of almost all generations. Basically used to promote education, it can be understood in various ways, each idea, each meaning, giving birth to newer and more branches. But, the big question here, is what does it mean, now..at the present..in today's society?? My opinion may differ from you, but yes, I believe, as of now, it means, that the wounds that a pen can inflict are deeper and more damaging that any sword that may cut through an individual's heart.

This power of the pen if not used properly can murder quicker than the sword. Each word..each letter..can gnaw away day after day..night after night at the mental peace of the writer and the subject. When we use the ink to malign someone's image, to unnecessarily write hurtful words, to mislead, to misinform, to take credit we do not deserve, it's claws dig deep into the conscience of the writer damaging each inch more than the previous. No, I do not advocate not writing, rather, let's focus on what's worth being mentioned in each piece, what nurtures our intelligence and feeds our soul thus enriching it.

How would it feel to get up one morning just to read crap about yourself in the papers or somewhere in the virtual world or in each person's eyes that you may meet or pass by. It would hurt wouldn't it? Now let's put ourselves on the other side of the universe. You've just put down something on paper or your accounts in the virtual world and you are applauded and praised for your work, only to realize months or just days later that you misinterpreted..you were wrong..but the damage was done, the arrow had left the bow. IT WAS OVER!! You cannot reverse the situation, you cannot change a thing. Trust me..the guilt is not going to leave, it's over for you too..even if you write down taking your words back..it won't help..

The solution is not to stop writing, but to first verify what you are writing..the magic is in respecting your own knowledge and regarding each person's personal space and the right to make mistakes..as it's famously said, before you speak something, think, is it kind? is it true? is it necessary? same goes here..reflect before you write..do not diminish the light of wisdom..let's not drag ourselves to the level we all loathe.

HOW I BEGAN WRITING..

I had lived just around 9 years on the surface of our planet and had already completed 3 poems..actually when i look back now, they were..ummmmm..more of 'stoems'..they were lengthy alright, but very close to my heart..since they were my very first work.

It was the year 1999 back then. I being a little girl took them and showed them to someone i looked up to, only to hear, "YOU CAN'T DO IT. MOREOVER, IT'S NOT EVEN YOUR AGE YET TO WRITE POETRY". I hid my work from everyone, never letting anyone even touch the notebook it was written in. I had stopped writing..

Years rolled away..i lost friends and even made a few..lost once in a life time chances..learned life's lessons usually the tough and teary way..changed schools..and life went on..

Then one day, my class teacher all of a sudden says, she wants a write up for the school magazine from me and after almost 8-9 years I put pen to paper and wrote down my 4th poem in one go, titled. 'Remembering A Friend' in the memory of a friend I left behind in my previous school.

But I call 'Remembering A Friend' my first poem cause the ones i wrote back then are probably down the drain somewhere or maybe between the layers in the recycled paper that lays on your or even my desk at the moment cause I threw Them 6 years ago..pleading never to write ever again..But now after 1 published  poetry book (http://www.flipkart.com/2-u-me-8179702413/p/9788179702413?pid=9788179702413&_l=rNOfRA_2s1pRNn46QI4BxA--&_r=TaVca32qOR6YoajaeXOFHg--&ref=6d7de4fa-e885-4540-b610-41a98d256c72) and 2 almost complete novel scripts, i've pledged never to stop writing even if my creativity ceases to sell!! I will respect my creativity and not let anyone take it away from me!!

http://www.facebook.com/PoetryByMe