{"id":4144,"date":"2026-05-21T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/?p=4144"},"modified":"2026-04-25T18:19:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T18:19:24","slug":"the-tongue-is-the-real-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/2026\/05\/21\/the-tongue-is-the-real-weapon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tongue Is the Real Weapon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

(Originally written 05\/07\/2023.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many battles have been fought for\u00a0someone\u00a0to coin \u201cthe pen is mightier than the sword,\u201d not just the old sword battles, but the battle of words.
To know that a weapon can kill is easy to understand.
You see the result, the damage, the suffering, the death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, written words can kill too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words have power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words persuade you.
Or they dissuade you.
Either way, they sell you something in the process.
You buy into beliefs.
You believe what you hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200bThe written word has been known to\u00a0change\u00a0lives.
It converts hearts.
It transforms nations.
It even recruits support.
\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tongue Used to Inflict Damage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve all heard the old adage, Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.<\/em> (The adage is adapted from this poem<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, regardless of how much or for how long we say it, the words still sting quite a bit. The tongue is a powerful weapon. Let\u2019s face it. You cannot speak much if you do not have a tongue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember the schoolyard bullies, of course, who doesn\u2019t? Likewise, what about the peers pressuring you? How about the dreaded moment when the teacher singles you out on a mistake you made? They all used words to impact you in a negative way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words to punch, pull, slap, hit, kick, push, hurl \u2014 and whatever else \u2014 you down to the\u00a0proverbial\u00a0ground in distress, pain, insult, embarrassment, you name it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about the words you use? What we hear impacts us, but especially when we say it. If we hear it long enough, we begin to believe it. Therefore, the constant repetition you heard as a child, you repeat that every time you experience anything less than success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be a hard-driving force within and that is a hard voice to ignore.
The tongue inflicts more harm than we realize. There are few \u2014 and precious few \u2014 who have been encouraged and\u00a0empowered\u00a0by words from an early age. These people seem to excel very well, better adjusted to life.
\u200b
However, we who lived with the tearing down of words from an early age, seem to hold a bleak view of life and themselves. The words they speak indicate what\u2019s going on inside. They may never say out loud \u201cI\u2019m stupid. I\u2019ll never amount to anything.\u201d Yet, they\u2019ll repeat to themselves often.
Is there a way out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u200bSocial Diarrhea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A very vivid expression, I know. It accurately describes people who give out their life stories in five minutes or less. They reaffirm to everyone that they have nothing to hide, literally. There is no\u00a0discretion; they tell you\u00a0everything<\/em>. Words are used too loosely and too frequently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you met someone like that? I have, a few times. These people are very matter-of-fact about some very sensitive (and in my opinion private) topics.
They keep repeating, \u201cI have nothing to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps they are looking for help. Most likely, acknowledgement.
Maybe they\u2019re looking to be heard and they\u2019ll talk to anyone to find that recognition. The tongue becomes a defensive weapon, one that protects.
Transparency in the fullest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026And the Verbal Hermit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From one extreme to the other, the verbal hermit is just that. Or it may be that this is an extremely introverted individual who has nothing to share in conversations. They tell you nothing. Nothing about themselves, their family, their hobbies, work-life, friendship, etc., nothing. Absolutely nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, maybe over a period of time, you might hear something. It may be \u201cI have a brother.\u201d Or, \u201cI work nights.\u201d Simple. To the point. And quite vague. These people hold their words within them. The tongue rests often.
Maybe they think no one cares. Maybe they feel their words mean little.
Who knows? They never talk about it. \u200bThey likely do a lot more self-talk.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Third Option: From Weapon to Tool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A third option? Convert the tongue from a weapon to a tool. Choose to speak life instead of death. Encouragement instead of battering. Positive instead of negative. When is the best time to instill this option?
\u200b
The best time to act would be now.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Break out of old ways. Empower yourself. The time is now<\/em>. The opportunity awaits you. Break through your prison of words. Shatter the continual haunting and taunting. Start with what you say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The choice is yours. It\u2019s your decision. Will you decide to be vulnerable and reach out? Do you long to be free from the prison of words? Take a moment now. Choose what you will do for you. Ask yourself: how will I use my tongue?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Originally written 05\/07\/2023.) Many battles have been fought for\u00a0someone\u00a0to coin \u201cthe pen is mightier than the sword,\u201d not just the old sword battles, but the battle of words.To know that a weapon can kill is easy to understand.You see the result, the damage, the suffering, the death. However, written words […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4144"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4147,"href":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4144\/revisions\/4147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eliyah.com\/light\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}