I recently came across a piece on the Odyssey that, although I found to be well written, proved to be extremely controversial to the public based on the comments I went on the read following the article. I won't name the article, because I find it to be irresponsible considering their topic isn't what I want to discuss. I want to take a moment and not only commend, but thank people who are brave enough to address controversial topics.

We live in a day and age (or maybe things have always been this way, but I've only recently developed an awareness for it) where many topics discussed are divided in support. Everyone has their own way of thinking, and I feel like we're all making steady steps towards becoming more open and vocal about them. In all honesty, I'm an incredibly reserved person. Even if I have an opinion on a subject that was brought up during a casual conversation, I shy away from voicing it if I believe doing so will lead to a divide between me and my conversation partner. I find it even harder to write about topics I know will garner a lot of hate, even if I can potentially gain supporters as well. I’ve found myself avoiding talking about debatable news and all things political. I fear people, but even more than that I fear peoples’ opinions of me. To me, being outspoken is impressive. From reading so many articles, I gain new perspectives that I had never even considered, both those that go along with what I believe and those that go against it. But learning new ways to see things can only benefit me, right?

To all of you people who have either written about controversial things, I applaud you. I hope that one day I can gain that kind of courage. For those of you who are hesitating, I hope this can give you the courage you need to press that “submit” button. You may get a lot of hate, and I may be part of the group that disagrees, but that won’t deter me from supporting you to voice yourself. I think it’s the job of the writer to check themselves. To make sure that what they talk about is something they’re passionate in but also something that’s worth discussing and being open to the public. But bottom line, I’m supporting you stranger. Keep talking about the things that will gain you enemies, but also friends.