Do you speak up or remain silent? Does it depend on the circumstance? Unfortunately, too many people choose the silent route, especially when it comes to hot topics.
We are afraid that our thoughts and opinions may hurt or offend others. We don’t want to potentially lose the friends that we’ve gained. We fear the backlash from those who may disagree with us. Sometimes we rather just bury our heads in the sand.
That is all completely understandable. But silence, as pleasant as it is, doesn’t fix or change anything. There are some topics that need to be discussed and we can’t always depend on others to do the job for us. We all have different opinions and for varying reasons, and those thoughts need to be shared.
If the whole population were to keep silent and let the chips fall where they may, then there would be nothing left of the world, but chaos.
In order for any changes to be made, there must be understanding. The only way to achieve understanding, is through the sharing of our own personal experiences and concerns. This helps others to relate on a deeper level, giving them a broader view of the subject.
If we want change, then we must speak up. Our silence helps no one.
With that said, there is a way to discuss topics and a way not to. As adults, we should be able to have mature discussions with one another. We should be able to deliver our opinions and respond to those of others tactfully. We’ll never convince anyone by throwing a verbal fit. But with a calm tone and a listening ear, we might.
If we’re going to live in this world, we should have the right to speak up. We should want to.
How about you? Are you afraid to speak up? Why?
Me - Who am I? 
I’ll speak up, but the amount and “volume” I use will depend on the forum. I won’t be dragged into a flat-out fight so I try to gauge how I can respond to avoid that…or I save it for my own personal blog/Facebook, etc.
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There is a certainly a time and place for everything and a way to go about it. Not everyone is capable of handling subjects in a mature manner and those are situations I avoid myself. Some people just want to argue.
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Great question and thought provoking.
I speak up…if I don’t, I feel complicit. To say nothing, to me, is the same as saying that I don’t care enough, that whatever is happening isn’t worthy of my voice. That said, I try to speak in a way that doesn’t put another person on the defensive, by speaking from personal experience.
If someone is too fear-based to hear another person’s story, I don’t push it.
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I agree with you completely and have noticed that too many people seem to fit into that category of “not caring”. They believe that as long as it doesn’t touch their lives personally, that it doesn’t effect them. But, they’re wrong. Everything that is done, impacts our lives in one way or the other. Therefore, we should care. I also agree that in some cases we should not push it. Some just don’t want to hear it and our voice will do nothing besides cause conflict.
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My thoughts exactly. And you are right, everything that happens everywhere touches us, sometimes in measurable ways and sometimes in a wave that we hardly notice until it sweeps us away.
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I absolutely speak up. There is nothing I am afraid to blog about 🙂 totally agree with all you say! Bloggers really do keep silent. It’s amazes me every time I wrote a post on a hot topic.
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Good for you! I’ve noticed the same. If I write a happy-jolly post about something insignificant, I’ll get all sorts of replies. But, write on a deep subject and people run from it. I think that many people rather pretend that issues don’t exist than face them. Their bubble is safe….so they think. One day however, those ‘ignored’ issues will make their way into that bubble that they have worked so hard to protect.
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I couldn’t agree more!
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I do speak up. I think everyone should. As you said it’s necessary and I also think it’s our right to do so. I wish though, I could keep the intensity under control each time I do.
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I understand that. It can be difficult at times to keep our cool, especially when it’s a topic that we feel strongly about.
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For sure.
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It depends on the audience. Some are just not worth the effort, closed minds and ears.
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I agree, Tric. Some people only want to argue, but never learn.
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Hmmmm,…..this sounds like it picked up right where we left off yesterday in our comments….LOL! Great post and again, spot on!
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It sure did. 🙂 That comment got me thinking about how many people avoid touchy subjects and even pretend that issues don’t exist.
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I speak up, especially if someone is being what I would call verbally abusive. You’re absolutely right, there is a way to have a discussion and also hear what the other is saying. The only place I have given up speaking up is on that dreadful Facebook forum.
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Too often these days people feel the liberty to talk trash to one another….from the safety of their side of the computer monitor. It’s sad, so it’s great that you speak up. I agree about FB. What makes FB debates so bad, is that those people are “supposed” to be our friends.
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I have learned to just skim by anything that looks as if it might be a political statement because as you said, they are ‘talking’ from the safety of their side of the computer.
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I speak up in real life for sure, and I think that’s more important than blogging. Currently though, I am in a situation that worries me. I need to talk to my best friend about something that concerns her. I am nervous about that talk, because I am afraid that if she speaks up, I can’t be her friend anymore!
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Speaking up in real life is certainly important, however from personal experience many of my viewpoints have changed directly because of posts written here. We reach an audience on here that we never could otherwise. As far as your friend goes, if it is to help her or someone else, then everything will turn out exactly how it is meant to – at least that’s what I believe.
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I do speak up, but only when I feel it is worth using my energy at.
I think that
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That’s understandable. Some things are just not worth it.
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Sorry, I continue here,
We have the right to yes, but absolutely also the obligation to say what we stand for.
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Yes, I agree. We can’t always wait around hoping that someone else will speak for us. Sometimes the more voices, the better.
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It can be hard – but in real life, I do my best. Unless I am afraid of physical violence and I have no back up. Online… well, my own blog is now entirely light and fluffy as I have been ‘outed’ and people in my tiny town, and my higher-ups at work, know it is me. I can only hope they don’t troll for my comments on other blogs, but even still it is quite easily done.
The third place would be FB, yes. I am ‘me’ there, and I will comment on nonsense or politics posted by friends. It has lost me some, but some do listen. THEIR friends, however, sometimes see me as fair game and attack. That sucks a lot. But I rage in private, shut them down in public.
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You’ve got a good point there. Physical violence seems to be the only way that some people know how to communicate. I’m sorry to hear you’ve been found out. That can definitely put a damper on things when it comes to blogging. It’s good that you feel the liberty to speak up, at least on FB. That can be a scary place sometimes for touchy subjects, but the audience is certainly there and someone is bound to listen and gain insight one way or another.
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I believe in speaking up. But I believe there is a responsibility for doing so. To listen, to hear, and to carry the consequences of speaking up. (Because not everyone speaking up is doing so for positive reasons.) I also believe there is a time to be silent, so others can speak. And this is my most difficult task….keeping my mouth shut! 😉
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