With the beauty of language, ideas can be expressed, emotions conveyed and nuanced for the people to absorb and mold into their own frameworks. Though in its most primitive form, language consists of sounds; the meanings assigned to words have had the power to eradicate, to annihilate, to extirpate. Nonetheless, our sounds enabled us to reach the deepest trenches of the ocean, and the farthest reaches of the our cosmos, proving the power language encapsulates to unite people to achieve greatness. These sounds allowed for the systematic organization of our societies, from the horrors of fascism to the wonders of modern democracy. Our capacity to understand and love one another comes from communication, and that communication stems from language. Language enables productive social interactions and enhances mental capacities, leading to a unified global brotherhood. Language is the most important invention in human history.

Multilingualism brings a new perspective of the world. Because a singular global language does not exist, learning a second language is necessary to communicate with different peoples and cultures.

If cultures isolated themselves with native tongues, the innovation and progress we know today would not exist.

In major business hubs such as Los Angeles and Miami, fluency in Spanish allows for smooth negotiations with the Latin American nations. In the medical field, doctors expand their patient list if they are fluent in many languages. Imagine the countless lives a doctor could save if he or she knew English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Arabic and so on. Language is more than communication; language provides life, whether it be of a relationship or a person’s life. One tongue, a barrier. More tongues, expanded horizons.

Through the pursuit of social interaction, humanity can preserve itself to ensure a prosperous future. Social interaction provides knowledge of the world and the self.

The words exchanged between people in times past manifest themselves in the present, molding their character. Language creates the personality; people convey their personality through language. Through the exchange of our ideas, humans landed on the moon. Americans united under one creed of preserving life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They overthrew tyrannical government, replacing it with one where the communication between the nation’s people and government formed the basis of progress and innovation. The powerful language in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution revolutionized the world, allowing for unprecedented freedom and dreams.

As much as language does to unite and move forward, language holds the capacity to wreak more havoc than any weapon on Earth. An unimaginable number of suicides have been a product of a violent exchange of words between people. Unforgivable homicides, from the Crusades to the Holocaust to Columbine, were all a result of the immense power words held over people.

Despite its disruptive aspect, language births new creations, whether it be the confident and happy young boy who was on the brink of suicide who was saved by the encouraging words of friends and family or the international coalition to fight a changing climate to ensure a safe future for generations to come. Language kills, language births.

The current social condition begs for unification and trust building. A new world order will stem from greater communication, a focus on the power of language. Language holds the potential for human extinction or longevity.

Choose words carefully.