We are the writers of the world. You know who you are. You spend a few hours a day – maybe more – with a pen in your hand, or a keyboard under your fingers, writing what comes to mind. You write because you love to write – because that freedom of expression, that ability to put down on a tangible medium the feelings you are experiencing, the thoughts you are having, the very being, the very essence of your mind coming to life through your words. You know that feeling. And you love it as much as I do.

What you might not realize is just how important your writing is. How absolutely necessary it is, how vital a role it plays in your life, and the lives of those around you, the lives of those affected by what you write. Words are powerful. In the words of the Buddha, “Words have the power to both destroy and heal.” Words have such a profound impact on the way we live our lives, from the foods we eat to the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, the people we talk with, words control everything about our lives. Words are how we communicate, it’s no wonder they contain such awesome power.

We are the writers of the world, and whether we know it or not, we’re all part of the same army. It doesn’t matter whether you write poetry, or fiction, or newspaper articles. It doesn’t matter how long your articles are, or how eloquent your vocabulary is. You write – and that makes you a writer. And being a writer makes you a profoundly powerful person.

And yes, I said army. We are an army. We have no uniforms, but our imaginations. We have no weapons but our pens and our papers, our computers, our type writers. We have no ammunition but our words. We lay siege to bastions of ignorance with every letter; we tear down ramparts of boredom with every twist of the pen, or plot. Our foes are many but our resolve is steel, and our willingness is abundant. We continue an ancient tradition, from stone and chisel, stick and clay, quill and ink pot, the ancient people understood the power of words. And we need to understand them now.

With all the advances in technology, the ability to be connected to anyone in the world at any time, words take on a new meaning. They gain a new power. You don’t only have influence in your own personal sphere; you have influence that spans the globe. Influence is power. Use that power wisely.

As writers we must uphold certain ideals. We the writers of the world, must so solemnly uphold the tenants of our calling. We can make and destroy entire realities, and with that power comes great responsibility. It is up to us to write responsibly. Soldiers fight their battles on the field; we fight ours in the mind, and on paper. We are the writers of the world, and we hold the power in our hands.