Power of Pen/Word

When I was a student there used to be debate competitions and often the topic was “Which is mightier Pen or Sword”. I never participated because I suffered from stage fear but I made it a point to always be in the audience. Based on the arguments given by the speakers I would sway sometimes thinking that Sword is mightier and at other times the Pen.

However, now I am convinced at the age of 70 that Pen/Word is mightier. The reason is the type of articles I read in the media or hear the speeches and see the impact they have, astounding, to say the least. A stray incident can be turned into the most vicious of events by written or spoken words to turn the minds of people to believe in it and also react equally viciously. This further creates opportunities for the journalists/speakers to write/deliver, just for their bread, more juicy articles/speeches. I wonder, “Are they ever concerned about the hazards of inflammable writings or speeches?”

Reading about an Indian thrashed in Australia in the paper, I called my friend living there and he just brushed it off saying there is nothing, it is being unnecessarily blown out of proportion in the Indian media. Such incidents take place all over the world between people. In rage people become violent and react to repent later and there it ends or should better end.

Then someone, who is articulate and has a fertile self-motivated mind, gives it an entirely different meaning in such a convincing manner that a common reader starts believing in what he reads and starts nurturing hatred towards one of the parties involved—Australians towards Indians and Indians towards Australians, or Canadians towards Indians and Indians towards Canadians, or Muslims towards Hindus and Hindus towards Muslims, or Sikhs towards non-Sikhs and non-Sikhs towards Sikhs, or Captain towards his men and men towards their Captain, or such unending bipolars.

I wonder is it the motive of present day journalists and public speakers to create hatred in the otherwise innocent hearts of common people?