The Power of Words

HS #36   2018.7.3

The Power of Words

 “You’ll be the same person in five years as you are today except for the books you’ve read, the people you’ve met, and the places you’ve gone.”  Lots of truth to that adage. After taking a long-awaited trip to Scotland, a wonderful country, I returned with a new appreciation of this one.  For one significant reason:  The U.S.A was built on the power of words. 

The idea struck me while taking a tour of Edinburgh Castle, culminating in viewing the Crown Jewels of Scotland.  They are magnificent – a crown, a scepter, a sword, and The Stone of Destiny.  These items have been used throughout the centuries to symbolize the power and authority of the Scottish rulers.  The Stone – a 300 pound chunk of sandstone – was the object upon which the early kings of Scotland were bestowed as rulers, and it has been used ever since in the coronations of England and Scotland.  Residing for 700 years in Westminster Abbey, England returned the Stone to Scotland in 1996, but still calls it back to be set under the thrown when each new monarch is crowned. 

Seeing these revered objects – all protected under thick glass, I was reminded of the novel, “The Lord of the Flies.”  A group of young boys is marooned on an island. Starting out well, rivalries and conflict develop, and a conch shell is chosen as the symbol of power. Whoever has it, has the authority to speak. 

Rather silly, but that has been the method of bestowing and displaying power throughout the centuries. Consider the exalted pulpits used in cathedrals, the robe and cap of the pope, the stars on the uniforms of generals, signet rings of ancient Rome and Egypt, the Chinese five-clawed dragon robes, and the crown jewels and coat of arms of European rulers. 

How radically brilliant it was then for our Founding Fathers to reject all such physical symbols. Instead of crown jewels protected under thick glass, we have the original copies of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence - words on a piece of paper - protected by bullet-proof glass and ready to descend into a deep vault at any threat of danger. 

Instead of receiving a scepter and crown, the President-elect says words - simple words of the oath of office. Repeating those 35 words is necessary and sufficient to become the next President of the United States. 

Indeed, our faith in those words is so powerful that in 2009 when Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and President-elect Obama slightly muffed up the oath of office, they repeated it the next day – correctly.  Google “Swearing In Ceremony of Gerald Ford” for a West Michiganer’s thoughts on the Oath. Note how the Chief Justice addresses Ford before and after he takes the oath.   

How interesting this all is! Our Founding Fathers are rightfully credited with establishing a new form of government – a republic where the power is held by the people rather than by a royal family or ruling class. The method of delegating that power – via the election of a president and representatives with oversight by appointed justices - is also recognized as an historical innovation.  But along with these, less noted but no less revolutionary, the Founding Fathers also realized that the symbols of authority should not be objects, but words.  They believed in the power of words. 

It is appropriate then that our two greatest presidents were instrumental in cementing that new faith. After eight years in office, President Washington willingly gave up his authority when John Adams became the second person to say the oath of office.  This allowed for the peaceful transfer of power, prompting King George III to say of Washington, “If he does that, he shall be the greatest man in the world.” 

And 63 years later, President Lincoln reflected back on the previous century and looked forward with hope when he exclaimed that a nation so founded would long endure. At just one point in that speech Lincoln erred. He said  “The world will little note nor long remember what we say here . . . “ In that statement he was mistaken, since the Gettysburg Address, which I memorized as a fifth-grader and can still recite, follows only the Sermon on the Mount on the TIME list of Speeches that Changed the World. Maybe even Lincoln underestimated how much we in the U.S.A. value the power of words. It’s a heritage in which we can all take pride.