It has been said before that the “pen is mightier than the sword.”  The “pen” refers to the power of ideas, expressed in written word.  While the power of ideas is important, and no person or country will win without them, I have come to believe that the sword is mightier than the pen.  I came to this conclusion based on my work with Iran.

There is a very strong movement in Iran, among the students, that wishes to overthrow the mullahs who terrorize Iran.  They stand on nothing but the power of ideas.  Most of the activism for it comes straight from the universities.  In fact, almost all of Iranian history has stood on a proud tradition that favors reason and enlightenment.

But despite their enlightenment, they have been unable to ward off any terrorists, usually Muslims, invading their land, including their current battle.  The Iranians have not been able to, once and for all, set up a sovereign nation in which they can live peacefully.

The following quote is from Farah Pahlavi’s book, wife of the Shah, called An Enduring Love.  The Shah of Iran ruled from 1950 – 1979.  During his reign, Iran had good relations with the United States; women’s rights and contraception were encouraged; and Iran enjoyed economic prosperity.  In 1979, terrorists following Ayatollah Khoemini began to attack Iran.  They hated the shah for Westernizing Iran.  After the guerillas burned movie theatres down (then blamed it on the Shah, inciting hatred for him), Farah Pahlavi describes what happened:

“The shah ask(ed) each person for suggestions on how to reestablish contact with the various communities.  Many … recommended force, which he refused, reminding them that a ruler cannot open fire on his own people without losing legitimacy.”

“As a result, he decided to address the nation, from the heart rather than the head … The king’s address was moving, going so far as to admit that he had made mistakes … His speech was immediately interpreted as another confession of weakness… We were reaching out to people who had already condemned us to death.”

After this, rioters sabotaged the city and forced the shah into exile.  Iran turned into what it is today:  the only theocracy in existence, known for its hatred of the West and sponsorship of terrorism.

The sword is mightier than the pen for one reason:  thugs do not understand reason; they understand force.  If you want to have a strong civilization, you must have a strong sword – for protection. 

I asked an Iranian friend of mine about gun ownership in Iran.  He said sometime in the late 1970s, they began registering guns and soon guns were banned. 

This, the disarmament of the population, has happened all over the world, in every dictatorship, including in modern history.  Victims of Hitler watched as Hitler disarmed the population then either murdered them or took them into slavery.  You can read one Polish man’s account of it, who was taken into hard labor in NAZI Germany, in the book, “The Bridge Over the Main:  How a Small Polish Boy Survived World War II in Germany,” by Stan Domoradzki.  Gun ownership is necessary for more than just hunting.

Many people are scared of guns.  This is a natural response for people who have never handled a firearm or especially for those who have been on the receiving end of firearms such as in Iran.  However, if you do not control something, it will control you.  A fear of guns is not reason to ban them altogether or avoid them but to understand them and learn how to handle them.  

The “sword,” i.e. a strong defense, is necessary to protect what is valuable.  This is why roses have thorns.  You must have guns and a military, “thorns,” to make sure that things that are beautiful, such as roses, can bloom.

Cyrus the Great, who ruled circa 550 BC, founded the Persian Empire and made the first statement of human rights.  This tradition should continue, and when the mullahs of Iran are overthrown, the Iranians should set up a government much like ours, which constitutionally protects individual rights.  The first two staples of their Bill of Rights should be exactly the same as ours:  the right to free speech and the right to bear arms. 

Amber Pawlik