We often hear the phrase “the voice of the people.” But in America, it’s not about a voice. It’s the voices.
On social media I see many voices, many opinions. Some are drastically different from each other. Some, I don’t agree with at all, and they make me want to scream. But I love it. I love all these voices.
Why? Because when I see these voices, I know that I am in America. That America is still a free country. That we have the sacred right to voice our casual opinions or our deepest-held beliefs and to stand up for those beliefs. In sharing different perspectives, we come to the better middle ground, find truth where we wouldn’t have otherwise found it, incorporate that truth into our current beliefs, policies and practices and come up with better solutions than any party could alone.
What I don’t love is condescension and condemnation. The fear of another’s opinion and the attempts to silence them. When we silence each other, we threaten our valuable right to voice. One reason Hitler was successful was because he got people to turn against each other — brother against brother, friend against friend. Human against human. An ideology against humanity. If we silence each other, lose tolerance for each other, lose appreciation for our differences, we lose our humanity.
So America — carry on! Research and learn, debate, persuade and speak up. But know that your neighbor’s opinion is as valuable as yours. It came from a place deep inside of them, born of experience and crafted by their unique human mind. We can disagree, but we needn’t silence or demonize one another. Let’s respect each other for our shared humanness and shared desire to be heard — because if we don’t, America is no longer free.
Lori Searle
Orem