I had a discussion with a friend yesterday about censorship and how
speaking a certain way simply to please others contributes to the loss
of one’s true inner voice.
During the discussion I watched him closely,
and I could actually pinpoint the heated moment when he was about to
give me a piece of his mind, but stopped himself. It was so obvious!
So I called him out on it. “You just censored yourself, didn’t you?”
He laughed and nodded.
Everyone has this little watchdog inside their head. It’s always
there watching you. It was born and raised by your family, friends,
coworkers, bosses and society at large, and its sole purpose is to watch
you and make sure you stay in line.
And once you become accustomed to
the watchdog’s presence, you begin to think
his opinion of what’s acceptable and unacceptable are absolute truths.
But the watchdog’s views are not truths, they’re just opinions –
forceful opinions that have the potential to completely brainwash you of
your own opinions if you aren’t careful.
Remember, the watchdog is just a watchdog, he just watches. He can’t
actually control you. He can’t do anything about it if you decide to
rise up and go against the grain.
No, you should not start randomly cussing and acting like a fool.
But you must say what you need to say when you need to say it. If it
isn’t politically correct, so what.
Don’t censor yourself. Speak the truth. Your truth.
