Haiku: To Speak Or Not Speak?
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Winston Churchill
Haiku: To Speak Or Not Speak? – The choice is yours…
Speak out, speak up… STOP
Children should be seen not heard.
Old wounds resurface
A scream, shout, resist…
Why speak if no one listens?
Silenced by evil
Sweet words, from forked tongues
Like quicksilver corrode our minds
As we sip poison
Speak, STFU!
Why ask for what you won’t give?
But … strange, hanging fruit
We hold censored tongues
Told to speak, hear, see, no evil
As Peace, Truth … perish
Do you speak up or withhold your views? We live in incendiary times and many fear to speak because they live in nations where censorship is either ubiquitous or becoming increasingly so. Others resist the urge to speak out or hesitate to speak because they remember Abraham Lincoln’s powerful words…”Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” Whether we choose to speak up/out or not about issues that concern us or our communities is an individual choice, and it should not be a requirement for acceptance or membership in our communities. Each person must be allowed to choose the path they wish to express themselves. I don’t like censorship and I dislike fake news even more because it attempts to manipulate opinions and spreads lies. But we must decide for ourselves what we choose to hear, see or speak. The choice is ours. What will you choose?
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“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the danger of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of ‘crackpot’ than the stigma of conformity.” Thomas J. Watson
Haiku: To Speak Or Not Speak? – The choice is yours…
Speak out, shut up … STOP
Your righteous hypocrisy
Deserves NO awards
Silence equals death
Yet, words fall on our deaf ears
Holier Than Thou
Censored by threats … FEAR
The bored and guileless proffer
Words wasted on fools
To speak or not speak?
And be felled like an oak tree
Why beg the question…
Or alternately
We’ll be felled like a pine tree
Why choose fallacy?
Is the choice Yours to make? Yes, it is. There is much that concerns me about the world we live in, and I don’t intend to hang it all out for consumption by foes or even trolls. Yet, I agree with Jennifer Donnelly’s words that “We who have means and a voice must use them to help those who have neither.” To defend the defenseless and speak out on behalf of the voiceless is humane. I know so many who feel abandoned by the world and live under the strain and worry of terrible events that remain part of their daily life; especially those who live in war zones. We must not forget them. However, in the cacophony of voices, it becomes easy to get lost and we need to spend time reflecting on what matters most to our hearts. As our global community continues to experience upheavals and shifts that impact us all, we can serve each other best by working towards global peace and unity. Discriminatory practices or censorship of any form is anathema to global peace. Clearly, some are not interested in that approach and, while everyone is entitled to their opinion, the rest of us must not be forced to drink their poison. Speak up if you may and choose your words wisely. Have your say!
This post was inspired by a Daily Post prompt – Resist – and a Discover Challenge prompt: – SPEAK OUT – This week, Get inspired by those who speak out. Whether through blogging or marching, make your voice heard. So this week, let’s talk. What do you feel stigma or shame about, whether personally or at a cultural level? How can we change that? If you were to start a national, or international, campaign to get people talking, what would it be? Share your experience, and see how many people relate. As an added challenge, take a moment to find other people’s stories through the WordPress.com Reader this week. If something resonates, comment, connect, and build community together. To help other participants and new fans find your response in the Reader, tag your post #DiscoverWP. Not sure how to add a tag? Learn more.
Positive Motivation Tip: To speak up, we must consider our source and add a dash of wisdom to our choice of words.
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos: From Speak on Pixabay and/or my Personal Collection
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
Such an insightful and wise post. We are living among so much tension right now that we all need to look inward and speak up. It is so encouraging to feel like we are not alone in our viewpoints. Hope we all continue towards peace and acceptance.
My sentiments exactly…. Sadly, some folks jump to conclusion before they have even given themselves a chance to look, speak or hear. <3
Interesting thought. I believe in speaking out my opinion. However at times, in certain groups or to certain people, expressing your opinion and arguing could be a mere waste of time & energy!!!! I’ve felt that in a last few months, a couple times.
True! There is a saying for it… speaking to the choir. Some folks will never hear others point of view because their minds are solidly made up. I say respect that and move forward. In a world with billions of people, why waste time on that?
I do always try to sit back and listen to what others say to me. And at the same time I also speak up for what I believe in.
I do too and I make sure I speak because I must NOT because someone is prompting me to say something. There are times when silence is best and times when speaking out is the only way to address a matter. WE have to decide for ourselves. 🙂
I don’t always speak out when I should but I do when it comes to someone else that needs speaking out for.. This is a great post, it’s not always easy to know when to speak or not speak.
Exactly and that is why I believe the choice is ours to make. Some people speak on everything while others are reflective and measured in what they speak about. In our ever growing digitized world, it is easy to forget that those dinner time conversations do not always work well on the internet … and should be left on the dinner table. Yesterday, some of the members of a group I manage were very, very upset with a post from one of our members. We removed the incendiary post and it was a reminder to all of us that mindfulness is a virtue worth protecting in the face or irrationality. <3
It is not easy to speak or be quiet. It always depends on the situation. But I hope will be more kind to each other and accept others opinion.
When we speak from a place of consideration and kindness, there are rarely quarrels….
I absolutely love your posts!! They are so thought provoking and important!! Please keep them coming. I’m a fan x
I usually do express my opinions freely. Sometimes I regret it because there is always some people out there that can handle other opinions then their own.
Interesting take on “to be or not to be”
“We hold censored tongues
Told to speak, hear, see, no evil
As Peace, Truth … perish”
We shut our eyes, plug our ears, and in our willful ignorance… truth becomes evil, and evil becomes the truth.
“Why choose fallacy?”
When delusion is reality, can truth be found in fallacy?
Very insightful post! We are living in the world where there is so much uncertainty. Sometimes you are just frightened to raise a voice thinking, that the person sitting next to you can give you a bullet shot in the head. Though I strongly feel that once should take a stand for themselves as there is no point in living a life of coward!
This is something I contemplate for a long time too. A friend once said, if you have nothing good to say, then don’t say. For me, I will think before I say and will definitely speak if the person in concern is my friend!