What happened to our voices? That’s the question I wanted answered. But when I started to think about today’s world, my question changed. Our voices are everywhere: when I unlock my phone, when I turn on the TV, when I open my front door, when I pass the table on my right in the cafeteria. Everyone has something to say.
Some speak of the latest movie; others speak of weekends past and future. And of course there is the constant babble surrounding upcoming vacations, work, academics, family, and the inevitable gossip. There is even talk of current affairs– politics, crises, and the rare, silver-lining success stories.
In a world facing major transitions, divides, and conflicts our voices are abundant. But if there are voices, where is the disconnect? Why do we remain stagnant on nearly every front– political, social, economic? Clearly, we have no trouble letting it all out. The anonymity of the internet and social media have made sure of that. So where do the thoughts and ideas coming out of our mouths get lost?
But maybe I’m asking the wrong question. Rather than asking where the voices are, perhaps I should be asking where the open ears went. Are they here? Did we accidentally hit the mute button? Are our hearing aides tuned to the right frequency? Can you hear me now?
No? Thought so.
I fear we are all suffering from some degree of hearing loss. We shout our opinions from rooftops, but go deaf to anything outside our preferred scope. We create a bubble through which only those of like-mind can permeate.
As an amateur college writer, I feel this more than ever. My lack of age, degrees, and a resume in combination with the vast world of the internet make it increasingly hard to put words on a page– no matter how good or bad they may be. Words jumble around my head only to be left on a word document somewhere in the depths of my computer’s hard drive. The few great writers say, “write no matter what!” The rest of the world says, “Do it! You won’t. And if you do you’ll be sorry.”
I want to write. I want to write about the anger and sadness I feel as I watch America go down dark roads. I want to write about the increasing loneliness I see amongst my generation as we struggle between the roads well-traveled and the ones we want to forge. I want to write about mental and emotional instability and its lack of acknowledgment. I want to write about politics, feminism, religion, social media. I want to write for listeners searching for a conversation– not critics looking for a fight.
But the more I search the fewer I find. We– myself included– have adopted the role of speaker and critic while abandoning the role of listener. Despite the facts and American “values” of opinions and acceptance, there seems to be no room for dialogue– only interruptions, misunderstandings, and discrediting comments. We put up a facade to neutralize those opinions we do not like or don’t agree with: smiling and nodding to make them go away; silencing them with an unfollow; walking away when it’s most convenient.
It’s become a culture that thrives from top to bottom on a global scale. Countries dismiss countries; businesses ignore businesses; religions condemn religions; races shame races; genders belittle genders. And where does it start? With the people. With us. With you. With me.
But here’s that rare, silver-lining I mentioned: if it started with us, it can also end with us. I know it’s a line we’ve all heard a million times, but for once maybe we can embrace it. Because just as our individual inclinations to isolate ourselves escalated to a global scale, so can our willingness to take a second and listen. It starts with an individual, deliberate, conscious, action, and spreads until it becomes the default for every level of society.
There’s a sacrifice there, no doubt. It won’t always be fun; it won’t always be the highlight of the day. In fact, I can guarantee that at some point it’s really gonna suck. You’ll be challenged. You’ll be questioned. You’ll be called out. You’ll be proven wrong. But it’s worth it, because our diagnosis isn’t good. We’re all suffering from hearing loss, and eventually we’ll be deaf to everyone outside of a select few. That is, unless we open up and listen.