Speaking up is hard to do

HAVE you been in a situation where something just doesn’t sit right with you but you try not to get involved and yet you cannot?

Your mind tells you to just let it be and move on because it does not affect you directly, but your heart wants you to speak up.

I was in such a situation recently.

An acquaintance had posted on social media about having a litter of puppies after successfully mating their purebred dog with a cross breed.

Accompanied by a photo of the little furballs curled up next to each other, the post attracted many positive comments about the cuteness, but not from me.

I felt like I had a moral obligation to tell the individual that I did not think it was right, and I explained the reasons.

I know my comment will not be appreciated so I don’t expect a thank you note and chocolates.

Still, I engaged with the individual in a series of messages, with me explaining the consequences of their actions as politely as I could, and they defending their actions.

I feel that some of the person’s friends may have chosen to keep quiet to avoid conflict.

Speaking up is sometimes hard to do.

But is keeping quiet the right thing to do?

There are various thoughts on this.

One is that people should engage in informative conversation to explain their perspective or prove their point of view.

While we can all agree to disagree, in my opinion, anyone doing a certain action with the right frame of mind will respond to a comment positively instead of trying to shut others out.

Speaking up should spark discussions and ideation.

It may also inspire other like- minded people to voice out and possibly call out bad practices.

On the flip side, keeping quiet may propagate the idea that it is okay.

Many good things have come out of speaking up.

Remember the “period spot checks” that many female students were subjected to in schools as acceptable disciplinary practice for decades? It was not generally known until it was discussed in the open recently, which got the Education Ministry’s attention.

Although that story has come to light, we still cannot be completely certain that the practice is gone for good.

What we do know is that people have started questioning such practices, which is enough to deter potential perpetrators.

Speaking up should be encouraged from young.

Schools play a major role by taking serious consideration of feedback from students.

Making it known to young children that they have a voice and that it matters will instil self-esteem and confidence to promote a speak-up culture.

It will teach them to stand up for themselves and speak out against bad behaviour.

Such children will grow up to be confident, assertive and caring adults who will be comfortable enough to express out-of-the-box ideas or even business models, which will benefit the community they live in and the company they work for.

So, the next time you see anything ethically questionable, say something.

But ensure your physical safety before doing so.

And make sure to keep a cool head no matter the response.

Maybe when more people speak up with similar views on an issue, it will help someone else to see what is right.