We Americans know the value of our constitutional right to freedom of speech. If that value is hidden to any of us, we are either living under a rock or are newcomers to the American way of life. However, there is a collateral value to freedom of speech that has remained well hidden. In fact, until the emergence of instant global communication this unofficial freedom has had a quiet life of its own. I am talking about the right to remain silent. As children growing up in the first half of the 20th century, we may have heard our parents or teachers admonish us that "speech is silver but silence is golden" Yes. We heard it but who of us ever promoted that pearl of wisdom. How could we pass that wisdom along to our children in an age sincerely dedicated to the proposition that "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" This became ever more evident during the string of wars that have encrusted us since Vietnam. To remain silent about going to war was to remain unknown and even disenfranchised. So many of us spoke up for one side or the other. The same was true when the financial crisis of 2008 threatened the American Dream. Many of us protested and demanded accountability from our politicians and our bankers. We may even have expressed our views in the voting booth. A few of us chose to remain silent.
The hidden value in silence lies in its ability to clear the mind, to think before saying or doing anything. It is like the "pause" button on a media streaming application. The pause does not destroy the media itself. Silence does not destroy thoughts. Press the "play" button and whatever you were watching or listening to continues unabated. You can also "rewind" or "fast forward" and still retain the same media presentation. Silence works the same way for your mind. It provides time to rethink your stand on an issue or choose your words carefully. It also provides a level of privacy that is inalienable and has rarely been penetrated by tyrannical governments. That is likely to change if we continue to dilute our freedom of speech with banal, useless but addictive talk. Our only hope for rehabilitation may be to decode the hidden value in the admonition our parents and teachers once gave us: speech is silver but silence is golden.
Pick 102 - Generation Alpha
Screen technologies are the base of everything that characterizes Generation Alpha and truly distinguishes them from every other generati...
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