There's Danger in Not Speaking Out

Our stories and our art have power to change the world

The world is weighing heavy on many of us these days. Lately, I've been feeling an urge to hunker down, to give in to feelings of desolation and futility about even trying to reverse the tide that seems to be working against everything good.

Muddling through these dark thoughts this morning, I remembered this poem that hung on my refrigerator door 45 years ago. That snippet of a speech made by a German pastor in the 1940s encouraged me to fight for changes that I wanted to see in the world and helped me understand that writing was my way of speaking out. Since then, my writing has continued to be my activism, whether it’s about children’s rights, unschooling, or the environment. I have experienced the potential for my contributions to help create change through the sharing of ideas and by supporting others to build upon and act on them. No surprise there since, historically, important reforms have been sparked by writers and other artists.

But my doubts remain. Do people believe anything they read these days? Social media's encouragement of intolerance and division, a compromised mainstream media, dishonest and unreliable politicians and bureaucrats, corporations pursuing profit at all cost (and therefore influencing everything else in this sentence), and the resulting distrust of most institutions could all lead even the most optimistic person to wonder if integrity, ethics, truth, and hope even exist.

As a way of justifying my lack of engagement with my craft, I have often told myself that there are already enough (too many?) words out there. However, Niemoller's words remind me there is danger in resignation – both personal and for society. And, amidst all the murk, there is evidence of positive change; one only has to look for it. So this is me remembering that there is power in stories and encouraging you to write, draw, paint, make pots, or use whatever talent you may have to speak out.

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I wrote this piece a few years ago and just came across it again today, at a time when this old world feels like she’s in even worse shape. I’m posting it here today to remind myself to continue to write, weave, and use whatever other talent I have, even when I’m feeling despondent. I, along with so many others, have been too quiet in the face of treachery, violence, lies, divisiveness, anger, and everything else that’s been happening. Fear mongering is a powerful motivator for silence. But silence seems to me to be complicity. So, I’ll continue to show up here, sending more words into the ether. Grateful that you’ve joined me!