Dating : I Refuse To Be Silent

With so much going on in the world right now, it’s hard for me to remain silent. Look around you, can you remember the last time things were this bad? Yeah, me neither. Yet, that’s precisely what so many of us end up doing — remaining silent and suffering alone. I often wonder why that is. I think I’ve finally figured out the answer.

If we tell people the truth about how we’re scared shitless because we’ve been unemployed for the past six months and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight, what will they think of us?

What if we let people know that we’ve been pissed off for a long time that no matter what we do, it never feels like it’s good enough?

What if we tell our loved ones that there have been many days recently where we’ve lost confidence in ourselves and our abilities?

My god, what will they think? What if these people ridicule us and judge us? And so, we choose to say nothing. We put on our fake smile and pretend like everything is ok. But everything is not ok. Things haven’t been ok internally for us in a long time.

Now more than ever before, it’s perfectly ok to ask for help. Hell, I’m practically screaming for help by merely writing this piece. It’s ok to feel down sometimes when you have no idea how you will pay your bills.

No one is going to fault you for being stressed or a little angry when you keep seeing people you care about struggling. America needs more people to speak up. Speak up about your troubles. Let people know how you’re feeling and why you’re feeling that way.

When we talk about our issues without passing judgment on each other, we can work together to figure out solutions to our problems. But, if everyone remains silent, then the issues won’t come to the surface until it’s too late. Open communication and trust are essential, now more than ever before.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.
— Barack Obama