I haven’t posted in a pretty significant amount of time and that cannot be solely blamed on any one thing. It is work, it’s family, it’s friends, it’s photography, it’s summer. To be entirely honest as well, it was never my intention to be a regular poster or blogger. I am not a blogger. I am a person who loves to write and finds writing to be a healthy and invigorating experience. That being said, I began to feel a little apathetic about writing because it began to feel like something I was putting in a box. I was doing it even when I didn’t really and genuinely “feel it” and that kind of dulled the beauty and effectiveness for me.
I feel like there is an almost inescapable tendency to censor yourself even ever so slightly when you write something knowing that someone is going to read it, and I hate that. I really do, because I feel that one if not the most valuable part of the writing process is the expression of self. But the more and more you write with an acute awareness that someone, somewhere, at some point is going to read what you are writing, the more I think you risk censorship.
I think there is a time and place for censorship. I don’t think the time or place is when writing about philosophy, religion, theology, or even the more controversial topics that are relevant in todays societies. I think we’re sacrificing too much at the altar of public opinion and scrutiny.
It became such a habit to quiet my writing voice and almost apologize for the things I feel and believe, that I decided to keep whatever I wrote to myself for a while until I learned to just write again. I feel that I’ve sufficiently uninhibited myself, and in the process I’ve learned a little something about the timidity that we oft fall into when writing about sensitive or controversial topics.
I think one of the greatest ways to combat this timidity is to deepen your study and research about your topic. Sometimes if the voice of your target reader is too prominent in your awareness as you write, you almost feel as though they’re peering over your shoulder and you play in your head the criticisms they’ll have. Which is good–it’s good to be aware of the challenged that might be posed against your argument, for this can help you to hone your argument and sharpen your defense. So perhaps timidity is a symptom that should make a writer aware that perhaps they need to do a little more research and preparation before posting.
If the finished piece is a timid work though, then there is a problem. Timidity should only ever be a warning flag that more research, study, or thought is required to bolster an argument or position. If you read your finished piece and it is only a faded depiction of how you really feel or what your thoughts really are, then it is just a cowardly piece of work that truly was not worth the time of the reader or the writer.
Do not misunderstand me, please. By condemning politically correct writing, I am not encouraging or accommodating hateful rants merely because they are sincere and impassioned.
Truly, it should be important to the writer to be respectful, rational, and reasonable, but they should at the same time be sincere and communicate themselves without timid-tongue-biting. Say it with compassion and respect, but by George, say it! We need to learn to speak and listen with rationality, compassion, and respect. Surely we’ve evolved enough as a people to manage this!
So many writer’s skirt around sensitive issues, but they do themselves a disservice.
I would never ask a person to hide their beliefs, so I should not hide my own either. It would be committing an act of hypocrisy against myself. I wish to write with a respectful sincerity–if my personal beliefs offend even though I made every effort to communicate them with respect and compassion, I will not recant my words.
Surely, the personal beliefs of others have at times offended me by their very nature as I am not a moral relativist. But I will engage in a civil and respectful discourse rather than attack their human right and freedom to express their sincerely held belief.
We all hold controversial beliefs and we all, I’m sure, hold beliefs that some people somewhere in the world find offensive–but that is one of the greatest points of interest to our existence–the journey and adventure we’ve all embarked upon to explore our beliefs and convictions. I believe this to be a focal point of life–the pursuit of meaning and deeper understanding be they religious or secular in nature. Life would be boring if we watered every one down and gag ordered every person on matters of religion and theology.
Perhaps more action should be taken in learning to engage in civil, respectful discussion, rather than trying to silence a certain point of view.
kayeliza 