My Voice

They need to give more options than just Story and Poem...

Listen, this is important. This is my voice. This is my voice and I know exactly where it came from. But. Why was it silent for so long? My awakening was a slow and painful process. For so long, it seems, I've slept the blissful slumber of apathy, waking only recently to the idea that my ideas could matter. It seems easier to seek solace and sleep through this uncaring world, this place that seems to value the average, holds up the lowest common denominator as some sort of anemic measuring stick. Hey kid your breathing, well done! There are just too many rewards for falling in line, for embracing complacency and wallowing in mediocrity. So I shackled myself like Harrison Bergeron and was content to be content.

But listen, because this is important. Here it is. This is my voice. And for as long as I have it, I will be using it. I cannot stop now even if I tried. My hand twitches like an addict now. It reaches for pen, the pen for paper, and now it's flying across the page and nothing can stop it. As it flies, so do I, through all the thoughts unrealized, through dreams uninterpreted. This is a feeling of freedom as I've never felt before. But here's where it gets tricky. This next part is important.

This is also the most vulnerable and exposed I've ever been. Do you understand? Now there is no veil to hide behind, no way to turn back. I am revealed and can only hope that what is found is worth finding.

So listen well. Read this, and understand that my journey is not unique and my voice could be the voice of any one of the mute masses. A million silent consumers hiding in the comfort of anonymity, wrapped safely in the warm glow of the accomplishments of others. Reading the stories and experiencing the lives of people they don't even know. Each one with a voice and perspective of value, each one capable of weaving the tapestry of the human experience with their own unique color.

Now here it is, pay attention and don't miss this. This is the whole f*****g point right here.

This is my voice, not some divine gift, not some unfathomable beautiful enigma. It only feels that way because I suppressed it for so long, like I was afraid of it, of exactly what the implications of having a voice were. But it is mine, and mine alone. I alone am responsible for it just as you are responsible for yours. So stop reading this paper right now. I mean that, burn this paper, throw your computer out the window and pick up a pen. Write in pen, don't be afraid of your words, do not fear your voice. Drag it kicking and screaming into the world. It's hard at first, I know.

But believe me, trust me, f*****g listen, it gets easier as you go and it is the most worthwhile endeavor you will ever undertake.

Reviews

[Ravyne Hawke]

Powerful! I love the unveiling throughout this piece, how you reveal more and more of your "awakening" with each "listen" section. I do believe that once we've experienced an awaking of sorts, that it is hard to go back to the way things were before, that we wouldn't want to go back, not even for a second and we would want to share our awakening experience with the whole world if we could. You did an amazing job of that here!