Breaking your silence

“Once you start to speak, people will yell at you….or put you down and suggest it’s personal. And the world won’t end. And the speaking will get easier and easier. And you will lose some friends and lovers, and realize you don’t miss them. And new ones will find you and cherish you. And at last you’ll know with surprising certainty that only one thing is more frightening than speaking your truth. And that is not speaking.”  ~ Audre Lorde

I thought of Audre Lorde’s words yesterday while I was typing my post about political lawn signs and the courage it takes to express our views. I remembered how difficult it has been for some people (especially women) to raise their voices in opposition, or even quietly express their views on controversial topics.

And I thought about all the times I’ve kept quiet when I should have spoken out in defense of myself — or someone else. I thought about all the hurt and anger that never healed or never got resolved because everyone was too afraid or embarrassed or stubborn to talk about it. I thought about all the relationships that slowly dissolved or abruptly ended in silence.

How about you? Are you comfortable sharing your opinions and ideas, hurts or grievances? ~CL