Is Pen Really mightier than the sword?
Sadly not to Often - The Pen Should Always be tried First Though
The Pen is mightier than the sword
This post pisses me off big time!
Sadly not to Often - The Pen Should Always be tried First Though
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The Pen is mightier than the sword
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This post pisses me off big time!
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"The pen is mightier than the sword" is a metonymic adage coined by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 for his play RichelieuIs Pen Really mightier than the sword? Really? I think the unfortunate reality is just the opposite. If you really want change more often than not you need to use violence or the threat of violence to achieve your means!
History has shown us this!
The Creation of the United States - It took War
The End of Slavery in the South - It took War
Stopping Adolf Hitler - War
The Soviet Union - The Threat of War
The Removal of Saddam Hussein - War
The Removal of Mullah Omar - War
Genocide in Darfur - ?
Iran's nuke Program - ?
A Palestinian State - ? (not that I give a crap but just pointing it out)
Has the Pen really solved anything - ever?It Seems to me that Caesar's Chariots, Washington's Calvary, Lincoln's Cannon's, Churchill's Tanks, Reagan's Defense build up and George W. Bush's Laser Guided Missile's have accomplished more than the PEN ever has.
Sadly - I don't think this will ever change. Just look at history.
It seems to me that in order to accomplish anything in the name of peace you at least need to keep WAR on the table as an option;“If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it.”
Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong --
~Ronald Reagan
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.~ Sir Winston Churchill
After the chaos and carnage of September 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers.
~ George W. Bush
In stating a single condition of peace, I mean simply to say that the war will cease on the part of the government, whenever it shall have ceased on the part of those who began it.
~ Abraham Lincoln
Randy, the point is that the pen is responsible for the war. In all cases, the masses have to be whipped up to be willing to sacrifice themselves for an ideal. This may not as much be the case for the side that was attacked, but is sure as hell is for the side doing the attacking.
AntwortenLöschenIf you take a look at any one of your examples you will find that is true.
Does the pen Pesci used in 'Casino' count in this poll?
AntwortenLöschenWarning: Graphic violence and language in this movie clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDLtMEu49BI&feature=related
Wasn't there a pen incident in the last Batman movie, too?
AntwortenLöschenGood observation and query. ..
AntwortenLöschenThe sword starts the war, the pen finishes it.
AntwortenLöschenSo perhaps the pen is mightier than the sword figuratively speaking.
only if the pen is smarter than the person holding the pen
AntwortenLöschenNo statement is absolutely true, including this one.
AntwortenLöschenThat's something to keep in mind when asking, and answering, questions.
What is your definition of "mighty"? Obviously you can kill more people with a sword, and with pen you write the words that start the swords, and the words that stop them. You can dip a blade in blood and write with it, if that appeals. It is not the instrument you use, but the hand and mind that control it.
Essentially, we, the human race, must recognize when we are being stupid, and find the determination to use our intelligence to avoid the stupidity. It is a human paradox that we can be stupid and intelligent at the same time, even using our intelligence to create bigger and more disastrous tools to be stupid with.
Did it TAKE war to result in an outcome, or is that simply what we used?
We Americans had a war for independence. Canada didn't.
We had a bloody war that ended slavery. Slavery ended almost everywhere else without a war.
Though there was no way to stop Hitler's aggression without war, his was a movement resulting from an unnecessary world war before him, which was worsened by US involvement.
War leads to more war. So does injustice-- imposing unfair conditions by means of military or economic dominance.
Ironically, our worst weapon may have resulted in more peace, by forcing us to THINK, finally, of the intolerable consequences of using it in war. Perhaps it would be wisest for us to insist that all capable nations possess nuclear weapons.
Of course our clever stupidity enabled smaller and equally unjustifiable wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq (twice), and use of dominance many times to impose injustice, humiliation, and hardship in several places. It is easier to have war when you have enemies, and we've created plenty of motivated potential enemies.
To answer the original question, the pen, guided by true intelligence and rational thought, can inspire the same in others, teaching the values and advantages of harmonious cooperation rather than conflict, of thinking of the whole rather than only one part, of equality and tolerance.
The sword can end the lives of men, women, and children, and bring misery and sorrow to the survivors. And anger; more swordplay...and so it goes.
My answer should be clear. Yours is up to you.
What about the Soviet Union, Randy? That was economic collapse, no? Ended in disarmament rather than war, did it not?
AntwortenLöschen"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons"
Yes it was but it was excellerated by Reagan's massive defense build up (Threat of War).
AntwortenLöschen"Yet while the Soviet Union had a faltering economy, it had a highly advanced military. No one doubted that Soviet missiles, if fired at American targets, would cause enormous destruction. But Reagan also knew that the evil empire was spending at least 20 per cent of its gross national product on defense. (The actual proportion turned out to be even higher.) Thus Reagan formulated the notion that the West could use the superior economic resources of a free society to outspend Moscow in the arms race, placing intolerable strains on the Soviet regime.
Reagan outlined his "sick bear" theory as early as May 1982 in a commencement address at his alma mater, Eureka College. He said, "The Soviet empire is faltering because rigid centralized control has destroyed incentives for innovation, efficiency, and individual achievement. But in the midst of social and economic problems, the Soviet dictatorship has forged the largest armed force in the world. It has done so by pre-empting the human needs of its people and, in the end, this course will undermine the foundations of the Soviet system." "
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2222560/posts
Let's hope the same is true of your own empire, should its' designs on world domination bear fruit
AntwortenLöschenI figure all ideologies have a shelf-life, especially extreme ones. Deja Vu, I think we've had that conversation here before...?
AntwortenLöschenI understand most of the events noted were reportedly staged in the first place, anyway.
AntwortenLöschencosmicrat: Nicely put. In the end, all are tools. Tools are neither good nor evil - it's the application of those tools which are judged to be good or evil, and judgements can vary from one person to the next when subjectivity is preferred over objectivity.
Ever notice how the majority of humanity, regardless of nation, wishes on a basic level to avoid war? War seems to be an exception in choices when it comes to the moneymakers.
Pen versus sword? Brain versus brawn? I'll choose the strength of the pen any day.
AntwortenLöschenHaha.. I'm not sure. Honestly, I was just being a smart ass. The object of choice is of no consequence really. Man sees something in the way of what he wants and picks a way to change/remove the barrier as best he (or she)can. Wars, pens, string bikini's, deities... How was the last Batman movie? I missed it.
AntwortenLöschenFantastic acting, darker, very deep psychologically for a kids' movie (12 certificate here), violent too
AntwortenLöschenBut still just a superhero flick
Actually Jack Nicholson killed someone in the first movie with one too. It was during the 'mime' scene
AntwortenLöschenTake a good long hard look at this, http://stuartsonofal.multiply.com/journal an Independence war might be what is needed.
AntwortenLöschenStuart: You may want to check your settings. I see nothing but CSS code. To which of your posts are you referring? Would you be so kind as to provide a link to the specific post?
AntwortenLöschenI saw a bunch of code at the end of that link also. Then i scrolled and found a thwack of writing, letters, and other nifty things. I'm not sure if this is what was intended to be seen but it held me there for a little while.
AntwortenLöschenYou found it. If you did not notice the first page was a forwarded email that I sent to Obama's site, flag. Flag is for reporting email addresses and sites to Obama at the Whitehouse. As you may note I basically reported myself and accused Obama of International Conspiracy to defraud of rights and benefit's.
AntwortenLöschenThe second page is the failure report for the email to flag. Can anybody but a block on your email if they do not have your email address already.
From there it only gets worse.
The following comment was deleted by me. When I sent this comment, I immediately recieved a notice, this page can not be found. So I commented again.
You found it. If you did not notice the first page was a forwarded email that I sent to Obama's site, flag. Flag is for reporting email addresses and sites to Obama at the Whitehouse. As you may note I basically reported myself and accused Obama of International Conspiracy to defraud of rights and benefit's.
AntwortenLöschenThe second page is the failure report for the email to flag. Can anybody but a block on your email if they do not have your email address already.
From there it only gets worse.
A point of interest, when you get to the letter to president Obama, the last 4 pages are all law. In Canada any bill or act passed before the legislator or parliament, become law. In Canada the Workers Compensation Act is one of the most powerful acts, (law). It can not even be over ruled by the RCMP. Please pay close attention to article 108.
AntwortenLöschen