The great Thomas Jefferson once said, “Truth is great and will prevail if left to herself; that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate; errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them.”

I vividly remember reading those words off my phone as I was sitting in the car. It was that very moment that I realized that it was my duty to play a role in the metaphorical discussion Thomas Jefferson had alluded to.

I want to be the voice that separates truth from errors.

2017; it is a time where truth seems to have taken a backseat to those with the biggest pulpit and most potent voices. But, as a new generation matures, now is a more important time than ever to decipher verity from the background noise of pompous politicians and vulgar news broadcasters.

To me, writing means justice, whether it’d be in the form of a narrative or nonfiction essay. We all have a voice, a voice that can, respectfully, give freedom to those who are unheard, a voice that can change the life of the individual. Through fiction and poetry, our voice has the ability to indirectly ignite conversations that could potentially change the course of human history. For example, Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, used fictional characters to give a voice to those who were culturally oppressed by Western domination in Africa.

It is my duty as an individual to serve justice in the form of type on a blank sheet of paper. I write not only because I want to, but because I have to. It is my responsibility to give light to those who remain in the darkness, who are ignored by society; to those who are suffering in silence.

It has been said that “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32).