The Pen and the Sword

JFK said of Winston Churchill “He mobilized the language and made it fight.”  I like that.  Winston Churchill’s speeches were a rallying cry.  Not bad for a guy who had trouble with public speaking in his youth.
We like to say, “the pen is mightier than the sword.”  That probably does not mean I fight someone armed with a pen and they have a sword.  I would probably come off second best.  Even with my black belt in macramé.
I personally think the pen being mightier is sometimes true, and sometimes it is not.  When all is at peace, the pen seems to hold sway.  I like to read.  I like to access what I find inspiring.  It is a different story in war though.  It seems to me in those times the sword has pre-eminence.   Someone armed only with a pen can be dealt with in an instant.  It is probably why journalists are disappearing.  Ideas are dangerous.  To deal with ideas, deal with the source first.  It is probably why in some purges books are often burned in a very public ceremony.
I do not know how many times I have heard of someone denied access to their resources who drew on what they had inside.  In that case, if they are alive, then it is what is inside that sustains them, and not what they read as they have nothing.  People that have kept very little on the inside, run out of what they need very quickly.  Those that have imbibed a lot have heaps to draw on, which can keep them for a long period.
I have read about people put in solitary confinement who had nothing but what was inside them.  They spent their time recalling as much as they could of what they had.  That helped them a lot.  I saw a guy who I considered a walking talking reference person.  He could not only quote stuff but could take me to the source of it.  That is different to me.  I know some stuff, but don’t ask me where to find it, as there is a good chance I will come up empty.
I read that Albert Einstein made a point of not remembering phone numbers.  He did not want to crowd his brain.  His theory was “why remember what you have access to.”  I don’t have that excuse.  I just forget stuff I would prefer to remember.
There is stuff though that I feel it is important I remember.  Right now I have access to heaps of stuff, and if I don’t remember where it came from, I can usually find it.  I don’t want to be in the position though, where I don’t have access to stuff and therefore do not have it.  To me it is like running out of petrol prior to reaching my destination.
I want to be able to recall what I need when I need it. To me, at times, the pen is mightier than the sword, but always, what is inside is mightier than them both.