These days, the idea of standing up for what we believe in seems to be a bit risky, to put it mildly. I say this because we are living in a world in which we are constantly on guard, and on edge, concerned about saying something offensive to the wrong person; it’s to the point now that the notion of expressing our own personal belief towards something could get us seriously injured, or even killed.
As much as I understand this fear, I don’t think it’s right. Socially, we have been conditioned to believe that expressing our beliefs and values about a specific topic (especially a controversial one) is better withheld than it is voiced.
Personally, I have an issue with this.
If we aren’t able to speak our truth pertaining to a topic that holds significance to us personally, could we not be viewed as cowards? Rather than causing a commotion and voicing our beliefs about something important to us, many of us think it’s better to keep silent and maintain the peace. I’m not sure about you, but that seems a wee bit cowardly to me. If we hold back how we truly feel, not only are we shying away from who we are at our core, but we’re enabling other people to do the same. If no one is speaking up, why should we? It’s this sort of mentality that is so dangerously enticing because it offers peace and comfort over bravery and courage. Furthermore, the more frequently we shrug off doing and saying what is right, the easier cowardice becomes, until a sensation of normalcy is achieved, regardless of whether said perceived normalcy is benign at its root.
It’s hard, and it’s scary as hell sometimes, but it’s crucial to maintain faith in our beliefs and values. Without either, we aren’t much of anything.
Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
ontheedgeofeverything 