Ah...an age old question...is the pen mightier than the sword?
Well, if you're a regular reader of this scattered thought-collection called a blog, you'll probably be able to guess my answer. I would boldly assert that the pen has controlled the sword many more times than the sword has controlled the pen...hmm...history is fascinating. Anyway, one of my 3-year-olds said something rather profound about this today. I couldn't resist sharing it here.
We were discussing King David. His battles, his strength, his slaying of Goliath...I mentioned to the kids that David wasn't just a warrior. He wrote too. And he didn't write just any old random thoughts. He was a poet! The kids were scratching their heads by now...so I checked to see if some of my brightest kids would know. "What is a poet?"
Some wrong answers were given and some confused looks went around the room before Alyson's hand shot up. "I know, Ms. Emily!"
"What is a poet, Alyson?"
"A poet is someone who saves the kingdom!"
While I had to backtrack and redefine the word for everyone so that we could move on with the lesson and a larger vocabulary, I think Alyson had a point. There is no such thing as "just a story," "just a movie," or "just a poem." When it comes to the diffusion of ideas and words into condensed form a man wields a power greater than that of a steel blade. If he is a worthy poet, a poet in love with Truth more than with poetry....he might save the kingdom. On the flip side, he might destroy it.
In the words of Andrew Fletcher, "If a man were permitted to write the ballads of a nation, he need not care who writes its laws."
That is a testament to the power of poetry. Let us take heed to the wisdom that came from the mouth of a little one.
Well, if you're a regular reader of this scattered thought-collection called a blog, you'll probably be able to guess my answer. I would boldly assert that the pen has controlled the sword many more times than the sword has controlled the pen...hmm...history is fascinating. Anyway, one of my 3-year-olds said something rather profound about this today. I couldn't resist sharing it here.
We were discussing King David. His battles, his strength, his slaying of Goliath...I mentioned to the kids that David wasn't just a warrior. He wrote too. And he didn't write just any old random thoughts. He was a poet! The kids were scratching their heads by now...so I checked to see if some of my brightest kids would know. "What is a poet?"
Some wrong answers were given and some confused looks went around the room before Alyson's hand shot up. "I know, Ms. Emily!"
"What is a poet, Alyson?"
"A poet is someone who saves the kingdom!"
While I had to backtrack and redefine the word for everyone so that we could move on with the lesson and a larger vocabulary, I think Alyson had a point. There is no such thing as "just a story," "just a movie," or "just a poem." When it comes to the diffusion of ideas and words into condensed form a man wields a power greater than that of a steel blade. If he is a worthy poet, a poet in love with Truth more than with poetry....he might save the kingdom. On the flip side, he might destroy it.
In the words of Andrew Fletcher, "If a man were permitted to write the ballads of a nation, he need not care who writes its laws."
That is a testament to the power of poetry. Let us take heed to the wisdom that came from the mouth of a little one.
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