If you want to be a good person, you’ve probably run into some form of hesitation before. After all, while they tell us to stand up for the little guy and do the right thing when we’re growing up, we quickly learn that the real world is more complicated than that.
Getting in Your Way
You wouldn’t think this would be a nuanced thing. But as time goes by you realize that not everyone agrees what “the right thing” even is. People who you think are good people might flat out tell you you’re worried about nothing, or that something else would be better.
You may feel uncomfortable disagreeing with others, or they may make you feel uncomfortable expressing a differing opinion. So, who’s right? And what’s right?
Your due diligence
The first thing to do in this situation is some research. You want to be as informed as you can about factors that play into the issue at hand, be they laws, regulations, arguments for and against various things, as well as key parties in whatever it is you’re looking at. What processes are in place? What is the true issue? Are there people who are trying to make changes? What about those who are trying to keep the status quo? What are they saying and doing?
The point of all this is for you to understand the broader context. You may find you’ve been misinformed about what is happening, or find that with more information you don’t quite agree with your original assessment of the situation. But even if, upon reading up on things, you still agree with yourself, you still have valuable information about the opposing side. The more you understand the arguments and concerns of people who feel differently, the better you can educate and persuade others—and more importantly, know what you can do to help make things improve.
Who are you to speak your mind?
Standing up about injustice or even just a problem in life can be scary. But it can also be overwhelming because you may feel like it is not your right or within your abilities to change this world. But that’s where you’re wrong.
Anyone who has ever changed the world has only been human, just like you. And that means that you have just as much right to further innovation and good in the world as anyone else. If you see something that needs changing, well, who else is going to do it?
You are not all powerful. But you do have some skills, and some intelligence. You have your voice, your influence, your platforms. And once you have begun creating (if you haven’t already), you will have your creations. You may not be able to fix the world, but you can affect change, in your own way.
Gather your courage
It’s really easy to feel small and insignificant when you look out over the grand scheme of things. But when it comes to our future, we’re all we’ve got. So gather up your courage, and start to use your voice, so that the next people will have more solutions to build on.
Thank you for reading my thoughts. If you have ideas for others about how to let their voices be heard, leave them in the comments so we can help each other out! And I hope you have a wonderful day.