Have you ever found yourself in a situation that’s left you speechless? Not because you didn’t have anything to say, but because you didn’t know how to say it? There are definitely moments in our lives where something so outrageously wrong happens, and we let them happen because we are too shocked and afraid to speak up. We only realize after the moment has passed that we could have done things differently – maybe we could have helped a friend who was being misunderstood, or stood up for an injustice that we witnessed, or even maybe stood up for ourselves.
I chose to write about this topic because I’ve witnessed this phenomenon happen far too often within my own life, and also have watched it happen to other people – we get caught so off guard that we feel like we can’t speak up about things that matter to us. Yeah sure, it is easy to maybe say something the first few times we witness an injustice happening, but if you’re like me, after a while it gets exhausting trying to preach a philosophy that you can’t force everyone to share.
I’ve noticed this phenomenon happen mostly in conversation with my friends and family – people will use an array of politically incorrect terms, or devalue the issues that people face. I’ve also found myself in a number of situations where I’ve completely let myself be stepped on because I was too afraid to say what was on my mind. I know that it is not good to live life with regrets, but there are some moments that I do look back on wishing I had been braver than I was. I wish I could have said how I felt because maybe things would be different.
What all this has taught me is that there are definitely moments where we can change our situation, or the situation of others, just by using our voices. Heck, even by raising our voices. You can’t expect to get anything in life if you don’t ask for it right? It isn’t easy to be completely and unapologetically honest with others, and it’s even more difficult to be that honest with yourself. I find myself still struggling with how to do this; but I am learning. I challenge you all to do the same. Is there something you’re itching to say? Is there something that you need to tell someone, but don’t know exactly how to do so? Do it. You can’t predict what will happen, but you can know that your true and honest voice was put out into the world. And that is really awesome.
