I recently learned firsthand the power of words. A civil email exchange in another class unleashed a world of stress and backlash for me, allegedly because my style was offensive, my diction too caustic, and my message too clear. I sent the original email without hesitation or fear of reprisal, but was promptly rebuked for my impertinence and wrongfully accused of libel.
Never would I have anticipated such a reaction to mere words. They managed to rile more than one person into a state of outrage, even under my intended restraint. The whole ordeal, however, has taught me that words are never mere. We wield great power when we choose them, organize them, publish them. But as Uncle Ben would say, "With great power comes great responsibility." That's right. We are all Spidermen and Spiderwomen.
Our politically-correct age denies the world's heroes, though. It makes them foes and scares them into silence. Those who speak their minds must do so cautiously. Every genuine idea is a token of trust you place in your reader or listener; it is an expression of faith in their response. If I take the time to offer you my thoughts, it is because I believe you are mature enough to handle them without judgment or prejudice, without offense or indignation. Buck up, world! We can use more Paines and Thoreaus, more Kings and more Geraldine Ferraros. Nothing good ever happened from shutting up. The truth is not a Venom.
2 comments:
You buried and are still burying too much. You NEVER - EVER - should bury the right to speak,to write and, why not?, the right to complain when necessary.
Human history is full of people who had the courage to speak up. Yes, they died; but what's the big deal? Everybody will die, right! Nihilism is a natural resolution of the human condition, right? So why not to speak the truth. You should never bury it. It is not fair for both who died and who will die in the name of the truth! Again, we should appreciate a little more that we are free people and thus speak "our" truth. In other parts of the world, many cannot utter anything. It you think about it perhaps you will feel stronger.
I love Prometheus-type characters.
No, DON'T bury it...
Todd you place a lot of trust and faith in how others read your words. Just because you think your words are innocuous doesn't mean others will take them as such. Those looking for a fight can twist the simplest of sentiments into twisted rhetoric for their own agendas. Doesn't mean you shouldn't speak, but it does sometimes mean you will have to be prepared to defend your words from time to time.
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