Wednesday, February 4, 2009

The Darkside is Calling

Keeping silent on your own opinion does not make you or your soul shrink. Some people just have different priorities in life. Thinking and talking about a subject only when it is asked for the sake of answering is not very meaningful or informative. Taking a stance for any cause blindly because of the belief it’s worth while to be engaged in only makes you feel like you’re making a difference, but are you really making a difference? If there was nothing in the end for that person, would they believe in the cause as passionately? Do their intentions make them and their soul smaller in that sense?

3 comments:

Enrique Cardon said...

You make some good points. I too think that people who just speak for the sake of it, tend to demean the purpose behind speaking up for something.

Ana Chandler said...

Your opinion is very good and bold to say. I think that it is great that you have taking a different out look on this situation. Many people do speak just to speak which is unfortunate for people with a real passion for change.

Amanda H. said...

While I normally espouse the need to speak out and share your ideas with the world, I understand that keeping silent does not automatically make your soul "shrink." In my work, both as a journalist and as an AmeriCorps representative, I have to keep my opinions to myself; I need to at least appear to be completely objective. I am very careful in my everyday life to keep my opinions about public issues to myself and I am very careful about who I do decide to share those views with (so that my opinions do not really get out). If I could have a career that let me share my thoughts with the world, I would take it but, at this point in my life, I have decided to put my opinions on the back burner.

I do not think that my soul has shrunk at all. I think that there is a difference between staying silent for a reason, such as a job or some other situation where opinions on public issues are not appropriate, and staying silent because you feel that your voice has been taken from you or because you do not want to cause conflict; I think in the latter instance, your soul is affected because the thing keeping you quiet is not necessarily your choice. People should be free to express themselves without worry of retribution; real change only comes when people decide the rock the boat.

I agree that spouting an opinion just for the sake of breaking the silence or just because someone asked you does not really accomplish much and I agree that just randomly picking some issue with which to get involved for involvement's sake does not really accomplish much, either. It is great to help out, but how much is your help really worth if even you are not sold on the idea?