Speak up!

Today I met with someone for coffee and we were discussing how scary it is to get your voice out there about how you feel--not just in politics, but in personal relationships, as well.  This whole thing is quite terrifying--essentially, I'm letting the entire world hear what I have to say, welcoming a whole slew of things with open arms.  I could be disagreed with, I could be yelled at, I could be insulted, I could make mistakes, I could misspell elementary words (which I already did--oops).  The possibility of confrontation is frightening--but the potential to discuss is exhilarating.  Essentially, what's the point in living in such a great country, with a vibrant, thriving democracy if we aren't going to exercise our right to say what we want?  If you don't like something about the world, change it!  And I resent that people my age often fail to discuss issues that directly affect them, so I'm going to start.  I, and I certain many can relate, sometimes am intimidated by a) the fact that what I think doesn't always line up with what everyone else thinks, and b) the fact that being open makes one feel quite vulnerable.  In fact, I was so terrified to start this little blog that I tried too hard to make it perfect, resulting in a blaring typo in the title, of all things!  Bottom line:  free speech is scary, but worth it!