Suppress them not
Let them ebb and flow
Opinions, notions, emotions
Break the shackles
That bind you to silence
With anchored inhibitions;
In thoughts, voices, words
Our world is made, unmade
In never-ending cycles
A constant alchemy of change.
Last year, I blocked a few people on social media and exited WhatsApp groups due to differences in opinions. Well, not exactly that because different thoughts are enlightening, but due to trolling. Harsh words, bigotry, and bias were the hallmark of these discussions.
Needless to say, even these people must be relieved to have me exit from the group because now no one could challenge their point of view. We all love to believe we are right and our ideology is the best. Fair enough, but then why troll and abuse diverse ideologies. At that point in time, I wrote Trolled into Silence.
Over time, the situation has only worsened. Polarization, in almost all aspects of life, has manifested in crude ways. It is a global phenomenon. Innocent banter and sarcasm are also frowned upon because everyone is oversensitive. The cherry on the top is fear of the repercussions of speaking out.
Fear is more potent than any discomfort, rage, sadness, or astonishment you feel in the face of trolling. Fear enlists ultimate silence. Fear paralyzes. There are people who still speak out but sane voices are drowned in a cacophony of sorts. Even the gentlest are tricked into foul discourses and whataboutery.
Each day there is a new debate, and as the arrow next to Trending points up, so do voices and words escalate only to deflate with not an iota of difference in the order of things.
The following lines are an inner voice that urges continuing to share thoughts and words. However, who is listening? Will it make a difference? Do we have the courage to speak up? I don’t know, because the repercussions can be harsh and damning. So, I leave with just words for the brave, for I am not practicing what I preach.
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Author: Aneesha Shewani
I am just ME … a soul streaming across constellations, over eons of turbulent changes and tranquil noises, perturbed by the visions that engulf me and ruffled by the oft complacence that challenges the change. Yet, I must travel further across the galaxies, in search of the ultimate metamorphosis. Until then, I sojourn in this life, engrossed in my earthly callings of a wife, mother, professional, writer, dreamer, and seeker.
On this blog you will find a spectrum of fiction, poetry, reviews, thoughts, snippets, inspiration, experiences, voices, concerns, excerpts, and everything that the soul has gathered in her fold, over years of reading, searching, finding, losing, and discovering. I regularly indulge in various creative pursuits, like crochet, experimental cooking, reading, and writing, and I hold a managerial/editorial role in a financial services organization with a global footprint.
For a long time, social media hijacked my personal writing space, as I was sharing more on Facebook and writing Tweet-sized poetry on Twitter. Social media is instant but temporary gratification. Ultimately, a writer needs their own space, and personal blogging provides that space. I had started a blog more than a decade ago but all things need to be infused with new life, emerge in a new avatar, and so it is with my new blog space.
Let your love and encouragement pour into Blue Pen Strokes.
Check out Aneesha Shewani (@felinemusings)
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Blue Pen Strokes 