A penny saved is a penny earned.

--Benjamin Franklin
Or so he said. Over the last few years, Benjamin’s truism is being challenged. As an example, I bring up this little scene from my thrills-by-minutes life. I was at Food-4-Less (Yes, I shop at Food-4-Less, K-mart, and other discount markets.) picking up a few items. As I was standing in the check-out stand, the lady in front of me drop a penny onto the floor from the change that the cashier had given her. She looked at the penny and frowned at it. With a dismissive glance, she started to walk away. I picked up the penny and said, “Lady, don’t you want your penny?” Her eyes darted toward the cashier and then to me. “What for, it’s only a penny.” I was stunned by the reaction of my fellow discount shopper, and with that she walked away. I put the penny in my pocket and proceeded to pay for my groceries.

I’m no Benjamin Franklin, and I don’t watch every cent in my pocket, but on the other hand, if I could save penny here and there, with no discomfort to me, why not? Well, maybe picking up the penny was a discomfort for her. I don’t know, maybe it was. And granted this could have been an isolated case, but I suspect something else is the root cause for such discriminatory treatment of our currency: our currency no longer has the same value that it use to have. Ting, Ting, Ting. As you can plainly see, I’m no rocket scientist either; nonetheless, does one have to be rocket scientist to see that our currency is five feet into the grave? And should us discount shopper be so dismissive with our pennies? Ol’ Benjy wouldn’t be, and I bet he’s a discount shopper.

“The pen is mightier than the sword.”

In 1839, Edward Bulwer- Lytton authored the adage: “The pen is mightier than the sword.” It was written for his play Richelieu; or the Conspiracy. The quote has been used (since its introduction, and even prior, some say) in various forms and for many purposes—be it slogan, mottos or serious pieces of literature.

According to Wikipedia, General Douglas MacArthur once sardonically commented on the reality of war, "Whoever thinks the pen is mightier than the sword clearly has never encountered automatic weapons." I would be lying if I didn’t admit that part of me agrees with the general, after all, I am an ex-Marine. However, another part of me, a majority of me, interprets this adage to mean that written communication is preferable to violence.

This interpretation—communication preferable to violence—has driven a desire within me: the desire to write. This desire, like a car on a lonely desert highway, keeps me rolling forward, despite my inability to write, despite my overwhelming inexperience, despite my many re-writes. For there is much truth to the general's remarks, but I say let’s put words to paper before we pass the ammunition.