Stop the Noise!

This has been a huge struggle for me as of late. There has been so much noise and unnecessary chatter everywhere lately, and I have just tried to avoid it all. I've tried to avoid joining in the endless and empty resounding of gongs. And then, through a series of events, I came to be convicted of the fact that I was allowing culture to speak for me. My silence was allowing strangers, who have rather gregarious agendas, to speak as though on my behalf. And they are wrong. They do not speak for me. They cannot speak for me, because they have not tried to know me. To use counseling language, they are not competent. And frankly, I don't want them to speak for me.

So, now I must speak for myself.

I have a voice. I can speak for myself. No one else can speak for me like I can speak for me. Not even my husband, much as he would love to. I also cannot speak for my husband, but I can support him, and he can also support me. We're a team, and we have our own unique perspectives. Working together makes us more effective and a stronger team. For the most part, I do not see that type of teamwork happening in society. I see a lot of group think and polarization. And I propose that it is fear of rejection and/or personal injury that keeps any naysayers silent.

I am of the persuasion that one of the reasons we have the 1st Amendment, and the preservation of freedom of speech, is that our Founding Fathers knew that we would disagree. Honestly, anyone who knows anything about the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and the Constitution, knows that disagreements abounded among those men! But they did not let their differences stop them; their cause was far too important. Instead, they came together for a united purpose and worked things out. That's the way freedom of speech is supposed to work. The 1st Amendment, when properly understood and implemented, should protect our nation from fear mongering. Look around and know that it is not being implemented properly. In my opinion, the current usage is an egregious atrocity and a shame. In primary school, we are told that we have one mouth and two ears, so we should do twice as much listening as we do talking. Perhaps, as a nation, we should revisit those lessons and recognize that we can learn so much from each other.

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I need people in my life that I disagree with. People who do not agree with me, also need me in their lives. I cannot make wise decisions without their perspectives. I have not experienced every living situation, in every city, with every possible combination of events and beliefs, in order to understand the consequences of decisions. Listening to understand, seeking wise council, and thinking things through before speaking, is what will keep my voice from becoming noise. Perhaps, my voice can become music and rhythm, rather than noise and distraction.

I have a obligation to use my voice, and I have an even higher obligation to use my voice responsibly. And that is what I am going to do.

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Image Credit
The Grinch
Political Cartoon