Blog 4

     I feel that this text was a really powerful and eye-opening piece of writing that everybody should read at some point in their lives. I feel it was an extremely insightful passage that approached a common issue from a perspective that many people, including myself, have overlooked and failed to consider. I had never give time to the the idea that silence is caused by fear and that silence enhances suffering. This is something that I feel resonates with me and I feel that it is something that I have experienced but not taken time to be mindful and break it down as the author has done here. As somebody who does not enjoy confrontation and often find myself avoiding it in general, this is something I have encountered on numerous occasions as I tend to 'suffer in silence' when something goes wrong as I do not want to inconvenience others and I'd rather carry the burden myself. And I can confidently state that silence does not relieve us of stress and suffering but from my experiences it actually amplifies the emotions that I am feeling as well as having to live with the thought of you suffering in silence when you had the power to change it. 

    The only critique I have is that she, purposefully or not, suggests that speaking up in these situations is an easy choice or always the right thing which many people could disagree with.  I am unsure as to whether it is fair to say that speaking when afraid can always build bridges as many people have tried this in the past and it has not always ended favourably for them. Whilst I do agree that staying in silence does not relieve us of suffering, I do not believe that speaking out always makes a situation better and this isn't just referring to situations where the person speaking out may put themselves in danger, this is a statement that can be applied to less serious situations. But I guess this is where it comes down to the individual. One person may argue that if the outcome is the same whether you speak out or stay silent then you should  speak out and express yourself and have the satisfaction and peace of mind whereas on the other hand, someone like myself may argue that if nothing will change then what is the point of building the courage to say something that is potentially very personal and difficult to express.