I, like many other people, find at times that I am at a loss on how to have something to say. I write this post today mostly for myself, because I need to hear it repeatedly, but I thought that it might be helpful for one or two of you as well.

The mechanics of having something to say are pretty basic, really:

1. Make a decision about some topic or issue.  Choose a side.
2. Formulate a concise statement of your position.
3. Say what you formulated, by mouth, in a post, or on paper.
4. If necessary, provide the reasons why you feel the way you do.

That wasn’t so hard, was it?  No super revelation here.

Often, however, the real roadblock many of us face in trying to “have something to say” is reticence. We’re reluctant to take a position on an issue or topic in the first place.

There are many reasons why we avoid taking positions, publicly and privately.  Some of those reasons are very understandable.

If you are someone who needs a decent dose of information before you commit to one idea or another, you are pretty normally.  Informed decision-making is good.

Some issues requires us to acquire knowledge before we embrace a position.  If you simply go into the voting booth on election day and choose to vote for Joe Smith because his name sounds good or for a bond float to build a new zoo because you like flamingos, you are not making informed decisions.  You can still make those decisions, and choose those positions- and your criteria are valid because they make sense to you- but you probably will not be making prudent decisions here.

And yet, if you make those decisions, you still have something to say about the election.  You voted for Joe Smith because you liked his name. You voted for the bond because you like flamingos.

Some topics requires us to not necessarily know a whole lot, but beg for us to stay silent because we are part of a community of sensitives.  Usually, these topics that seek to silence us are simply more emotionally charged and culturally-filtered than others.  These topical positions are the most challenging because if you are in the minority opinion, you may meet not only ideological opposition, but social and emotional as  well.  You know about these topics.  They provide the basis of conflict in many movies, when the “It” people in a circle gabble in hushed tones about someone who did something outside of social norms, and the one silent one in the circle has to decide to go with the gossip, or to choose to challenge the core. These topics usually relate to political discussion, religious expectations, or popular ethics and questions related to cultural normalcy.  And usually, the majority is concerned with the maintenance of their version of normalcy.

With the assent and installation of political correctness as one of a civilized society’s guiding charges, the ramifications of individuals taking and sharing unpopular positions on any topic can be calamitous.  With the power of social media and the internet allowing single sentence tweets to find a sizable and international audience in no time, one ill-spun statement can result in potential ostracization, loss of employment, and even threats against one’s person.  That’s not good.

So there is the pressure of conformity and the pressure to not rock the boat that really pushes on many people today to not think for themselves, or, at least, if you do, to not say what you think.

But there is a price to be paid for this- this being nice, this conforming, this being silent.

By not deciding what you think and not saying what you think, you will lose yourself.

The truth is, knowing what you think and being able to verbalize it doesn’t mean you are narrow or simple or intolerant or bigoted (unless what you think is unavailable for discussion, or in the last case, simply unloving).  It means you have chosen to define yourself, and that you are claiming your right to be you and to think as you think.  You have a right to do this.

So, yeah, there is that possibility at the office water cooler when your peers are excoriating that team or the way that dude dresses and talks, and you disagree with them, and they give you the stink eye.  But they will know who you are, and where you are coming from.  This makes you interesting and gives you character.

But most of all, by knowing what you think and having something to say about this issue or that topic, you will be also telling others more clearly who you are as a person. And you will also be reminding yourself who you are as well.

So, go ahead- rise above your reticence. Have something to say. Especially if it is different or unique or counter.  This world needs you to have a voice.  Almost as much as you need to hear yours for yourself.