I know what it’s like to not know what to say. But we can’t let that stop us from showing up. We need to face what’s happening around the world.
Sometimes we want to say the right thing so badly, we prevent ourselves from saying anything at all. And that’s not our intention. We can’t allow your fear of what other people think of us or our lack of knowledge for the right vocabulary prevent us from standing up for what we believe in!! We can make mistakes and we can fix them. What matters is that we SHOW UP for our fellow humans.
The following questions popped up for me while thinking through this and I wanted to share for you to reflect on.
Do you think every human being, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, skin colour, and religion deserves to have the same rights and access to food, water, shelter and security?
Do you think talking about the rights of humans is “too political”?
Does it bother you when someone thinks we should be treated differently (either better or worse) based on their skin, sexual orientation, gender, or religion?
Would you let this person control your voice, values and beliefs?
When we don’t speak up out of fear for what someone else might say or think — were giving them control and power over our voice. It’s okay to take the time to gather your thoughts and feelings. In fact, I encourage reflection in an age where we are quick to react instead of responding with thought and care and research (I’m guilty of this too).
What we say doesn’t have to be long, inspirational, powerful or bold. It can be as simple as, this is not okay. Or FUCK. THIS.
What happened in America on January 6th was not okay. There was white supremacy, privilege, terrorism and anti semitism on full display, all because a group people didn’t get their way. What we need to remember as Canadians is that this kind of hate happens here too. Just because it’s not always on the news doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
Use your voice. It’s more important to speak out for what is right than to worry about what people will think of you.
I believe in you ❤️