Speaking Vs. Writing -Which Art to Choose?

Hitler said that no leader was ever born through writing but only by speaking. This makes a lot of sense to me as my own natural inclination is to stick to writing and I've never wanted to be a leader– that's just me and I'm pretty happy to be able to contrast that dude.

We've all seen his speeches where he's spitting into the mike with that tacky hairdo flailing every which way. His writing is actually very lucid but no action was gained by such calmly received communication. He became a speaker.

It's probably an obvious declaration to say that the only way to power is through the self. Jesus said the way to God is through me. My impression of that soundbite is that he wanted us all to repeat this.. "The way to God is through me."

Compare this to the Buddha's words, "Do not simply believe what I say, you must find your own path to enlightenment." Yes, they were both speakers, but they were also both very conscious of the fact that the vast majority of their audience would never hear their voices but would only read their words.

Similarly, the black dude with the air filter for eyes from Star Trek's Next Generation (Jordie, a.k.a. LeVar Burton) said, in his later role as host on PBS's Reading Rainbow, "...But you don't have to take my word for it..." His daily suggestion was that kids should read it for themselves.

I like this medium, writing. It's the softer art of persuasion... there is something unforced about the written word, we lead ourselves to water. We feel the joy of discovery upon reading a book that strikes a chord with us; it's not common for people to blindly worship a good writer as it is with an impassioned speaker. We actively read; we passively listen.

By reading a book, the writer is asking you to participate in what he's saying and then let it gel. A speaker wants you to passively accept what he's saying and then act on your emotions. Conveying big, impressive emotion and physical energy can sway a crowd's actions in a way that might simply be too powerful.. maybe even unfair. It's an overtaking of the senses and we get crowd psychology or worse yet, riots.

I don't think I'm arguing against the use of speech, it's just that the vehicle of reading/writing is a more private way of discovering what "I" think. This seems to align with my perception of team sports–not a big fan. I'm not a follower. Guess that makes me a solitary loner type; I prefer to learn by books, not through teachers–but that's me. That's my personal learning style.

I've never heard of a good book directly causing a riot, but then we don't read books in groups do we? Cozying up to a good book burning, though, might easily turn into a riot and now we're back in Hitler territory, group speak, riot mentality.

I'm with Jesus,the Buddha and LeVar, but Hitler!? c'mon man! I'll lead myself, thank you very much! I've read a lot of contrasting arguments and now I've got an accumulation of my own beliefs. I'm discovering myself along the way and there's been no shouting involved–or spitting. Ironically my education has been very actively formed. Like I said, I'm discovering myself.

I think I'm an anarchist, not a socialist and I'm not a communist. I believe in self-empowerment; I trust someone who flatly tells me they want it all. Undoubtedly, they're not lying or deceiving. Charity is the least transparent profession there is and countless times history has taught us that that's where the villains hide–behind their gifts.

I'm kinda' fascinated by Hitler, the power he gained is, to say the least, astounding. It was certainly a dangerous path for his people to follow. I guess the tragedy is that people passively sat back and accepted his gifts and let HIM be the passionate one. They gave up their own power to trust this powerful speaker and they were led down the darkest path in history. All the while they took the bait and sucked from his golden spoon.

Maybe I'm getting off track as far as the original subject of writing/speaking is concerned and maybe I'm getting too wrapped up in words–semantics, but I think I'm on to something here. Then again... don't take my word for it...