The power of words
The theme for this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is `The Power of Words’. It explores the words written during and the responses written after the Holocaust and other genocides. The words are those of both perpetrators and victims.
When Jewish psychiatrist Victor Frankl was arrested by the Nazis in World War II and was taken to a death camp, he was stripped of everything – property, family, possessions. Frankl later wrote.“now it seemed as if nothing and no one would survive me; neither a physical nor a spiritual child of my own! I found myself confronted with the question of whether under such circumstances my life was ultimately void of any meaning.“
He was still wrestling with that question a few days later when the Nazis forced the prisoners to give up even their clothes.“i had to surrender my clothes and in turn inherited the worn-out rags of an inmate who had been sent to the gas chamber,“said Frankl.
He found in the pocket of the newly acquired coat a single page torn out of a Hebrew prayer book, which included the words:“hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one God. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might”.
Just words. But words matter. They made a profound impact on him, reminding him of his faith and giving him hope. He survived. In her diary entry for April 5, 1944 Anne Frank wrote:“i want to go on living even after my death! And that’s why I am so grateful to God for having given me this gift, which I can use to develop myself and to express all that’s in me. When I write I can shake off all my cares; my sorrow disappears; my spirits are revived”. Just words. But words matter. Her words have made a profound impact on generations since. She did not survive but her words have.
“The Power of Words”; HMD 2018 theme is not just about exploring words from the past however. It is also about exploring the power of words today. There is an uncomfortable feeling these days that the 140 characters of a tweet – barely 20 words – could launch the next World War.
Just words. But words matter. A single reported word of casual insult (whether it’s fake news or real news doesn’t even matter anymore) has stirred nation against nation and created international tensions. Just words. But words matter. Yet we have also seen recently the immense positive power of words to change our world: #metoo. Just words. But words matter.
Our words can tear down or they can build up. Jesus’; followers were well aware of the power of His words, with the apostle Peter summing up their feelings:“you have the words of eternal life”(john 6:68). How will you use your words today? What words have you heard today that need to be challenged? What words will people remember of you and about you when you are gone?