For the most part, I’ve been deliberately keeping my voice concealed online in regard to political and social justice matters. I find the social media platform overwhelming, somewhat harsh, and unforgiving. Yes, our opinions and views do matter, since they inform our actions, and our actions can do harm (sometimes unintendedly) or do good. I also recognize the tremendous power social media platforms have to amplify ones’ voice and potentially inspire many to think differently, to make a change, to grow and transform.
Yet, a deeper reason I shy away from bold statements online or pouring my heart out in public – is that my views, opinions, and feelings are not fixed, and I don’t always know. Please consider that at any given moment, there are factors we are all simply unaware of and that a huge aspect of why we form certain views and take certain actions has little to do with our “self”, and has much to do with our “programming” – childhood trauma, social conditioning, ancestral values, and so on.