THE RECKLESS WRITER

Even writers can become complacent about free speech. We take it for granted because it’s something we’ve always had. But the truth is, freedom of speech is unusual. Throughout most of human history, it’s not a right that most populations have possessed.

It’s important to be deliberate in our ability to express ourselves. We can’t be delusional about insisting we still have freedoms we’ve already lost. It’s easier to go through life within a bubble of denial than it is to recognize the flaws of our society.

The truth is that for every action that’s performed to liberate humanity, there’s an equal and opposite action deployed to restrict our freedoms. These contrary forces battle in perpetuity. The moment we believe the war is won we have effectively surrendered to oppression.

When a writer speaks truth to power, it can be a jarring moment to observe. But it can also be a moment of awakening. Human beings have a fundamental need to express themselves. If you restrict your own language due to fear, you’re likely not living in the paradise you imagined.

We restrict our speech all the time

It doesn’t take too much exploration of your own past to uncover moments of self-censorship. We don’t see these scenarios as surrendering our freedom, and instead justify them as both practical and necessary.

It’s a slippery slope.

We’ve all had to face a bully. We have at least one memory of suppressing the urge to tell the bully what we thought of him in favor of our sense of self-preservation.

When you stop and reflect, you’ll discover moments like this sprinkled throughout your life. We choose not to speak truthfully to our boss, or parents. We hide our thoughts from our pastor, our teachers, and our friends.

In all these instances there is a thread of commonality. We go mute in the presence of power. The more there is a power discrepancy, the less likely we are to say what we actually think.