So that got me thinking about what keeps me writing. Why is it so important to me that I put my writing out there even when I know not too many people are going to read it? I could just write these things for myself and keep them hidden away in the depths of my computer, but something drives me to share.
"Whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it." This quote might be Ghandi, might be made up, and is definitely used in the film Remember Me with Robert Pattinson.
I've come to terms with the fact that most of what I do will be insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But it's not my job to be significant. It is merely my job to live. And perhaps in that life I will have the blessing of having a positive influence on others. And maybe that influence could somehow be construed as significant. It's not something for me to worry about.
Dreamboat RPatz, in this film as Tyler, follows up this quote with "because nobody else will." Perhaps everything I have to say has already been said. But maybe it hasn't, and maybe if I'm not the one to say it, no one else will. And I think that's what really keeps me going. I know that whether my words are completely unique or they have been repeated a million times, it's so important that I say them.
We all have important things to say. We have unique perspectives and our thought processes can lead us to ideas that have never been presented before. And it can be really hard to be the person who stands up and speaks out. It's terrifying to put yourself out there. What if I don't have anything new to say? What if I embarrass myself?
This reminded me of the bystander effect. Say you are walking down the street. You see a young couple. You can tell they are in a heated argument and suddenly, one hits the other. You know this kind of behavior needs to be stopped but you are on your way to class. You're running late and you're worried you're not going to make it on time. There are a few other people around so you decide that you will continue to class because one of them is bound to intervene. Unfortunately, there is a good chance these other people are thinking very similar things. One is on their way to a business meeting. Another is on the phone and doesn't want to disturb their conversation. Another is simply timid and doesn't think they will be able to change the situation. But you don't take action assuming someone else will and they all do the same.
This can happen with ideas. You have a thought that you know you need to share, but something stops you. Fear, shame, laziness, the assumption that what you have to say is not important or has been shared before. Whatever it is, you stop and you keep that thought to yourself. It never gets shared. But what if that one thought leads to increased social justice and acceptance? Or maybe that thought is spread and inspires a work of art. Maybe that thought sparks the chain that leads to the cure for cancer. Those words could lead you to love, to friendship, to compassion. Or maybe that idea does nothing for you personally, but leads another person to better self-esteem, happiness, or love.
You can never know the impact of what you have to say. So it's important that you say it. Maybe someone else will, but maybe they won't. And our words might be completely insignificant, but it's so crucial that we say them. We just have to remember that there is so much more to gain from sharing our thoughts than there is to lose.
We all have important things to say. We have unique perspectives and our thought processes can lead us to ideas that have never been presented before. And it can be really hard to be the person who stands up and speaks out. It's terrifying to put yourself out there. What if I don't have anything new to say? What if I embarrass myself?
This reminded me of the bystander effect. Say you are walking down the street. You see a young couple. You can tell they are in a heated argument and suddenly, one hits the other. You know this kind of behavior needs to be stopped but you are on your way to class. You're running late and you're worried you're not going to make it on time. There are a few other people around so you decide that you will continue to class because one of them is bound to intervene. Unfortunately, there is a good chance these other people are thinking very similar things. One is on their way to a business meeting. Another is on the phone and doesn't want to disturb their conversation. Another is simply timid and doesn't think they will be able to change the situation. But you don't take action assuming someone else will and they all do the same.
This can happen with ideas. You have a thought that you know you need to share, but something stops you. Fear, shame, laziness, the assumption that what you have to say is not important or has been shared before. Whatever it is, you stop and you keep that thought to yourself. It never gets shared. But what if that one thought leads to increased social justice and acceptance? Or maybe that thought is spread and inspires a work of art. Maybe that thought sparks the chain that leads to the cure for cancer. Those words could lead you to love, to friendship, to compassion. Or maybe that idea does nothing for you personally, but leads another person to better self-esteem, happiness, or love.
You can never know the impact of what you have to say. So it's important that you say it. Maybe someone else will, but maybe they won't. And our words might be completely insignificant, but it's so crucial that we say them. We just have to remember that there is so much more to gain from sharing our thoughts than there is to lose.
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