A ridiculous notion if one were to virtually visualize a trivial pen propped against a magnificent sabre or sword. But if one were to probe the depths of the disaster a pen could gorge, a sword would be gleefully welcomed for torture. A pen, so weak and weightless, in appearance, in comparison to a stretched lethal of sharpened, gleaming steel is a deceptive meek. A sword and a pen may be objects of paradox when using appearance and obscurity to illustrate them, however, the latter object (pen) has cradled beneath it an ultimate weapon – the ability to scar with words.

A pen is a tool that can viciously spin people into its web of libel. The power of maligning and manipulating can be owned and controlled by this tiny, lifeless object. Or is it a helpless, innocent victim of abuse by a clever fabricator who determines the words it must write? It is a toy that is expertly played with where the ink intensifies the words not only on paper but on the reader’s mind too. The words out of a pen can either comfort or agitate depending on the way they’re written. A sword, on the contrary, is dangerous and intimidating. Hands of a soldier may have trembled holding it their first time and then learning to use it as a weapon. It’s a wonder if the hands that hold a sword could also hold a pen? And if yes, would we then compare the lethalness of the weapons?

A sword is an object related to violence, or martyrdom or valour. But the kind of violence a pen could create, not even a sword could contend. And if a pen’s valour or martyrdom in the form of literacy on paper could educate enough minds to demarcate the right from wrong, a sword needn’t exist at all. A pen and sword, both, can provoke physical or mental wars. However, scars or injuries inflicted by a sword can be treated surgically and the scars would be boasted as acts of pride (for a soldier at battle or having fought and survived a cause). A pen, on the other hand, if used either flippantly or unwisely can lead to rumour-peddling or libel that may take years of defending and extenuating but a writer and victim (of the written word) can lose grace and trust in the process.

To conclude, a pen’s power is in its usage. The power of usage is in the truth. A person must know not just the way to seek truth but also the manner in which it ought to be presented. A pen holds the power to peace and can become the promising seal of friendships between people and countries.