Speaking One's MInd: It's Really the Right Thing to Do

The other day a friend asked if anyone had ever spoken their mind? She received a number of answers which for the most part were all negative; from "What's the sense? to Would anyone care?". A couple of hours later another friend spoke of how she had been speaking her mind and was rather ashamed about it for she said, "It's just not me". These two conversations were so similar that I began thinking quite seriously about the ramifications concerning "speaking one's mind". Certainly there are many outcomes of doing this. From injurious and degrading of individuals to supporting and uplifting thought, individuals, and ideals the ramifications are numerous. First of all can one speak one's mind without being confrontational or demeaning others? Of course! Yet, in many cases anger is the overriding emotion which controls the encounter. For instance, let's look at the Paula Deen controversy: if I were to say "I believe Paula Deen is a racist and a hypocrite"; quite a number of people would be upset at me and react in many ways. I can almost bet there would be a few who might talk to others or to me that "I need to shut the fuck up." Yep, can hear it now. Speaking one's mind can literally end friendships and damage relations over something as trivial as this. However, what would happen if instead of using words which are confrontational do? Here is my real thought on the Paula Deen issue; (yep speaking my mind now) "You know I have never been a big fan of Paula Deen. I've watched a few of her shows, but I just don't care for her. Now, maybe she said something 30 years ago, maybe she said something yesterday. The thing of it is this, admit it! Do your little apology and then move on. Is the World going to end do to her being sued about it? NO. Is she going to suffer from it? Yes, but hey, don't we all suffer from things we've said? Move on and learn from your fall and be real. Stop hiding and whimpering. Heck, if it had been me, I would have been ticked off. So, in other words, Paula Deen can come back from this and most likely make even more money ($17 million) than before. I foresee some books, maybe a movie...but it isn't the end of the world. There are more important issues going on which trivializes her problem which was brought on by her own fault." Yes, I know there are some who still won't like my thought; but the wonderful thing is, you might not like what I think, but I will pay attention to what you think as well. Hey! It's okay to disagree! After all, it sure would be a boring world if we all had the same opinions. Okay, so I know I'm far from perfect, I've done and said lots of things and regretted it after words; but it's part of the journey of life to learn from our mistakes or in some cases stubbornness. Moving on to number two, which is all I am going to think on is just how much more meaningful it is to speak one's mind in an encouraging way. Since I've talked about Paula Deen, I might just as well continue. "Paula has become an icon in the cooking world. She is a true account of how one can achieve the American Dream through hard work, faith, and confidence in one's self. Unfortunately, Ms Deen became caught up in a lawsuit deeming her to be a racist and an instigator of racial hate. Hopefully, this class action will be over with quickly and the ramifications it has created will be overcome due to her abilities as an icon, leadership, and friendly mannerisms. Plus, others should learn from her, as well as herself, that one should always be mindful and respectful to all people regardless of race, religion, gender,or handicaps". Yep, speaking one's mind can be difficult or it can be helpful. Just two things, never in anger and never in order to degrade others. So do speak your mind, after all, how will we ever know what you really think if you don't? That's what too many people who want to control you would like and speak up for yourself, for in the long run, who else will do this if you don't. Thanks for reading and helping me learn in my journey through life.