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“To say nothing is saying something. You must denounce things you are against or one might believe that you support things you really do not.”
When I first read the words of American journalist Germany Kent, I felt a tinge of disappointment in myself wash over me. I was ashamed of the many times I had not said something when something was clearly wrong.
And I was equally disappointed in myself for not speaking in support of something when I felt it was good and I needed it to stay or to be improved. Instead, I remained silent and I ended up losing it.
It’s human to hold our words back when we are afraid...or too busy...or too proud. We want to stay quiet and let things slide because we do not want to cause conflict or because we don’t want to be told that it’s none of our business. Sometimes we are just too busy trying to survive, we feel that speaking up might jeopardise our chances to make it to the next hour or the next day.
And sometimes, we are afraid to praise or compliment someone or something because we are too proud or we are just too busy. Sometimes we just simply take things or people for granted. We assume that they will always be there — until they are gone.
Speaking up, speaking against, speaking out and speaking for… it is our convictions, our beliefs, our values, our preferences, our rights, our ambitions, our aspirations and our feelings... that make us human.
These are the gifts that God gave us that differentiate us from animals and objects. And if we do not raise our voices to express them then we might as well cease to be human and let these objects and animals speak up.
Christine Koech, Editor, Eve
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