In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.

Silence is often nothing but dreams crushed to their cores. It is the remnant of a decayed system that no longer fits the status quo or accommodates our voices.

Dr. Martin Luther King while reflecting upon the Civil Rights Movement once stated, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends."

Voices create possibilities which allows representation where otherwise there would have been a gaping emptiness.

History bears witness to the consequences of silence that have manifested over centuries and decades in the form of discrimination, genocide and war worldwide. The ravages of the past tell us a very apparent and simple truth: silence can be fatal.

When we fail to express the intimacies of our silences, humanity as a whole suffers. Silence is essentially the residue of fear, the air that retreats from our chest because it doesn’t feel safe in the world that we have created. Silence is often nothing but dreams crushed to their cores. It is the remnant of a decayed system that no longer fits the status quo or accommodates our voices. In times of grave peril, it is a great privilege and a greater pain. 

And now is probably the right time to break our silences. To speak, to express and to breathe fearlessly and freely into the spaces that we inhabit. It’s time to acknowledge that we have a stage hidden on the underside of our inhibitions and an invisible microphone right next to our mouths. We have all witnessed the power that our voices have when they can access presence in culture, in entertainment, in politics, in business and in social change. Voices create possibilities which allows representation where otherwise there would have been a gaping emptiness. Our voices will ultimately expand our imaginations beyond what we are told is its possible extent, if only we let it.

And yes, some stories might not have an audience, some voices might not be taken into the mainstream narrative and voicing some opinions might be too big a financial risk. However some battles are worth it, we just have to choose ours wisely enough. 

People spend their entire lives suppressing their true authentic selves because their voices were left unheard and as a consequence, they weighed themselves as less valuable humans. If this is allowed to continue, this narrative of dehumanization will slowly mold into a deeply entrenched value system that not only dislikes our voices but also normalizes its suppression. 

And how exactly do our voices bring about change? 

Well, change occurs when we question our fundamental values and belief systems. Our identities shape these changes. Contrary to popular beliefs, our identities are not our obstacles, they are our superpowers. Collectively we are what the world truly looks like. And we need not create an alternative reality to reflect our identities, we just need to stop resisting the one that already exists.

In the end, our voices will propel history forward.

- Naionika