Now’s The Time.

So, there are a couple of things that I want to say here and I think that it’s going to be a pretty lengthy post, but I’m hoping that you’re all patient enough to make it to the end of this post. I don’t know where I’m going with this, either, because there are so many different thoughts in my head right now, it’s physically hard for me to try and put them into words, but I’m going to try anyway because this needs to be said. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but I hope all of you take something from this post.

First things first, yes, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic and most of us are still trying to process what this new definition of normal is going to be in the near future. Although we all are hanging in there and holding on to the hope that things will get better and go back to the way they used to be before everything came to a screeching halt, we’ll have to learn to look at the much bigger picture in front of us. Yes, we all miss our social lives but is hanging out really worth the risk you’ll be putting everyone you come in contact with?

I’m not saying that we’ll just have to endure things the way they are right now because a lot of people are stuck far away from their families with no way out of there. And if you think that people who are home with their families are fortunate enough, think again because family dynamics differ everywhere. I see people talking about how staying at home is adversely affecting their mental health; they don’t have a way out of that either. So no, we’re not all on the same boat. And I am not sure how much this will help, but make sure you check in on your friends who aren’t in ideal situations.

Next, I would like to bring up the fact that with literally every single thing going on around the world, it is frightening to think that people who have the power to be vocal haven’t really been vocal enough. Out of all those who have a platform that could help with amplifying important information, I see a lot of people who choose to look the other way because they are scared about the repercussions of talking about sensitive topics on their social media platforms. Let me remind you that there are bigger things in life to worry about than your social media aesthetic right now.

And I’m saying this regardless of what country you belong to. This is a universal thing. It is happening everywhere. People are not being vocal enough. I think that in 2020, I don’t have to explain the power that social media platforms have and the dialogues that they open for discussion among people. Believe it or not, your voice is loud enough if you raise it and it’s about damn time we started using our social media platforms for something other than useless scrolling and meaningless banters. We need to stop saying, ‘But what can I do sitting at home?’ because you can still be a voice for people who don’t have one.

And to people who think that youngsters make an issue out of everything, yes we do and we’re proud of it. We are proud of trying to undo the mistakes that our previous generation has made and we’re unlearning the harmful ideals that they have tried to raise us to believe. This is us trying to break the wheel and I’d say that we’re doing a pretty good job at it, even though a majority of people from our previous generation think that what we’re doing is a huge waste of our time and resources. But I have to ask you, is trying to make this world a better place for everyone really a waste of time? We have to disagree.

Of course, we’re all angry. Of course, we want things to change. But change isn’t easy. Change comes after a long and exhausting fight. To those who ask me what I’m doing to bring about that change? I’m being vocal. I understand my privilege and I use that privilege to speak about things that actually matter. I’ve recognized mistakes that I’ve made in the past and I’m consciously trying to be better with every passing day. I’m not perfect. None of us is. And that is why we all need to start using our voices for good. It’s never too late to change your stance when you realize your mistakes.

Grow and allow the people around you to grow. Be the voice of reason that the world needs right now because, no matter where we are from, we’re all going through, more or less, the exact same thing. We all have our own battles to fight and we all have our own reasons for them. But what we need to understand is that staying silent and hoping that everything will ‘die down’ is not the stance that any of us should be taking right now. If everybody backed out because they thought they wouldn’t make a difference, the change would die before it even had a chance to begin.

And for those who keep saying that they don’t want to get political, I’ll have to remind you that politics are happening to you whether you like it or not. It doesn’t matter who you are and what position you are in. There is no way to outrun it. You simply cannot sit this one out because it’s happening all around you and it is happening to you. So what you can do instead is to try and speak up for change. Stand for the things you believe in, learn, educate yourselves, do better. Be open to changing your perspective when you’re told that you were wrong.

That is why you need to start speaking up for things that matter. It doesn’t matter if your social media aesthetic is disrupted for a while. It doesn’t matter if your followers unfollow you for being ‘too political’. It’s okay because you’ll be standing up for what’s right. You’ll be making a difference. If the world is a better place tomorrow, you’ll know that you had a part to play in making it better.

What’s your excuse for still being silent?

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Featured Image by Scott Umstattd on Unsplash