Speaking Up for What You Believe In

Where would we be if people did not speak up for what they believe in? Where would we be if people did not speak out against slavery? Or disenfranchisement? Or segregation? What if people said that they knew slavery was wrong, but since others within the nation wanted it, they didn't think it was their right to stop it. In fact, some people actually did this, so we know what happens in this situation. People turned a blind eye to the some of the worst acts of hatred known to man. It is a dangerous thing to be unwilling to speak up for what you believe because you think other people will disagree with you. It is a dangerous thing to candy coat your words because you fear that others will not like what you have to say. If you change your way of thinking to satisfy the people around you, it won't take long before you become something else yourself.

This is the very thing that happened to an old acquaintance of mine. He stated that he has lived among people who didn't agree with his way of thinking for too long not to be concerned with their reaction to certain things. He said that he did not feel comfortable speaking his mind in front of them for fear of what they might think. In the end, he is the one who suffered. Yes, he maintained his friendships with these people, but he lost himself. He used to believe in freedom and tolerance and justice, but now he is enslaved to these people, his friends. He is bound by what they believe in instead of what he once believed. I am not suggesting that people should never change their minds based on personal growth. I am merely stating that people should not be willing to change their belief system based on their surroundings. If everyone in the world stopped speaking for fear of offending others with a different set of beliefs, then no one would ever be free to speak at all.