Power of Words

Power of Words

Using My Word Power: Advocating for a More Civilized Society. It is one thing to look at an issue or event and only see what it means for our lives today. It is quite another to analyze those same issues and events, and their potentially lasting impact on our lives, the lives of our children, our grandchildren tomorrow and beyond. We are all too often consumed with “living in the moment” where a short attention span and instant gratification rule the day.

While there is value in looking at events from today’s perspective, the more we observe, the more we realize that broad, sweeping and lasting changes and conditions develop over time. The seeds are often planted long before we see the nature and kind of fruit – good or bad – that defines the harvest.

Dealing with the conditions, circumstances and issues around us is much like raising children. What they ultimately become is a result of the kind of treatment they experience over time.

History is replete with men and women who took the longer view and worked for lasting change. Mother Theresa knew that she could not rid Calcutta of the conditions and ravages of extreme poverty on its most vulnerable citizens in a week, a few months or several years. She spent a sacrificial lifetime trying to break its interminable grip, working and advocating for better conditions.

When the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. took up the fight to rid this country of racial discrimination, he knew he was not dealing with a condition that occurred in a short time period. He also knew that real change did not nor would not happen overnight. His use of the power of words brought meaningful and lasting change in racial and socioeconomic equality. But there is still more to be done

Both these towering advocates could not turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the societal issues and conditions around them. They knew the meaning of the “Times” of their lives – as we must become acutely aware of the “Times” of our own.

Many of us are and can be Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King, Jr., in lesser or greater degrees. At a minimum, we can use our voices and our words to inform, to inspire, and to bring about change that will make the lives of others and our society better.

In her new book, Using My Word Power: Advocating for a More Civilized Society, Ellis tackles some of the most difficult and enduring issues of our time. It is Book I of three books in the Real Advocacy Journalism® series. As a collection, the selected commentaries are snapshots of history and are included because of their timeliness and timelessness. They have been written for a large radio station, a major metropolitan daily newspaper, community newspapers, and currently online. The book has received great editorial reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Midwest Book Reviews, and Chanticleer International Book Reviews and more. The book received the First Place for the Nellie Bly Nonfiction Journalism Award.

Use Your Word Power to Bring About Positive Change in Your Sphere of Influence—Family, Friends, Community, or Beyond.

This title, and others from Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D., are also available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, and other major online booksellers.

Contact Janice Ellis today to learn more about her work. She writes about social issues affecting people in Kansas City, Missouri, and throughout the country.