View From The Bridge

Silence Is A Heavy Burden To Bear!

by Jackie Warner

Career Development Facilitator “Impact, Engage, Grow” Community Matters

“We can learn to work and speak when we are afraid in the same way we have learned to work and speak when we are tired. For we have been socialized to respect fear more than our own needs for language and definition, and while we wait in silence for that final luxury of fearlessness, the weight of that silence will choke us. The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence.” – Poet Audre Lorde “Why are we silent when we could tell people close to us how we really feel? Why are we silent when we could share our common struggles and in so doing, ease the burden of others? Why are we silent in the face of injustice and persecution? In one short word, the answer is fear—fear of rejection, of our own persecution, of saying the wrong thing, of looking stupid, of being human, or of dying… Dr. King understood that death would be his ‘final silence.’ So, he spoke out fiercely, courageously and constantly. To honor him on his birthday, let’s all begin to break our own unnecessary silences before it’s too late.” -- Susan Harmeling, writer

Until Next Time, Be Sincere, Kind and Intentional Email: thebridge.us@ gmail.com

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