Skip to content
Personal Growth

The Importance of Speaking Up

Forbes’ Katie Phillips sets some limits on political correctness and politeness even though obeying her conscience could cost her some Facebook friends.
Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Having a voice and using it effectively is astonishingly powerful. When people tell the truth, other people listen. Statements that are juicy and controversial and dangerous are alive, raw, fearless—even as simple a proclamation as “no, thanks,” if it is precise and true. At the end of the day an admirable person is one who sticks to his or her guns. … There is no easy solution, and it’s an uphill battle, but these recent tragedies have taught me that I’ve got to become more vocal, that I’ve got to speak up and speak out and really work toward change if I ever want to see it realized. And that I may even lose some Facebook Friends along the way.

Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Related
The hospital where Rainn Wilson’s wife and son nearly died became his own personal holy site. There, he discovered that the sacred can exist in places we least expect it. During his talk at A Night of Awe and Wonder, he explained how the awe we feel in moments of courage and love is moral beauty — and following it might be the start of our spiritual revolution.
13 min
with

Up Next