“VOICES OF THE SILENCE(D)” in "WRITER@WORK: Stories From A Lone, Urban Girl"

Have you ever heard voices of the silence(d)? You’re probably wondering: what voices? Silence? What can you hear about them?

No, not the silence. I’m talking about the silence(d).

Not everyone with a healthy pair of ears can really hear – or have the willingness to listen. It takes more effort than most people do.

Strain your ears. Listen carefully. It’s slightly different with the voices of the unheard, although they can both be silent screams. Voices of the silence(d) are those dying to speak out, but somehow repressed by inner fears or outer threats.

It’s not about a mother silently wondering about her distant, withdrawn daughter. It’s the opposite, the girl’s fears and worries about destroying the woman’s idea of her:

Strong, independent. Self-reliant, resilient. Almost unbreakable.

It’s about secrets, hushed whispers between close friends – about the pain and fear of judgment. About the accused, who talks back and makes excuses. About the wounded, automatically gaslighted with the same, damn accusation – everytime they dare speak up of their plight:

“You’re just playing victim.”

This is the world where most monsters still get away with everything. Society’s growing even weaker by the day. Instead of giving protection, they tend to play safe by looking the other way. It’s always a lot easier to give up on the most unfortunate and save their own skin.

Even worse, they tend to blame the victims instead, for “not being careful enough”.

There are many voices of the silence(d) out there. Too many to detect and gather. They fly around in the realm of every empath’s subconscience. It takes willingness and a lot of practice to be able to listen to them. Listen to what’s not spoken out loud. Pay attention to subtexts.

However, let’s not stop there. Feeling sorry for them only works for a while. Something else still needs to be done after that. Without your acknowledgment, empathy, and real help, they will remain nothing but the voices of the silence(d).

Time to make them (more) relevant. The time is NOW.

R.