Dissent

* Script of speech delivered in a Toastmasters meeting at St.Teresas College (2022). 

Have you ever kept silent and stopped yourself from expressing a true opinion on something, out of fear? Were you afraid of other people's reactions and the risk of losing their liking and approval? It is natural to be afraid to oppose or question the majority. There often truly is much to lose if anyone dares to do so. That is why Abraham Lincoln said, "If there is anything that links the human to the divine, it is the courage to stand by a principle when everybody else rejects it!" 

When we look back into our past, we find that the first, the boldest and the most costly step taken to conquer and overthrow any great evil or injustice is always the simple but powerful act of "dissent". I call it simple because it does not require great strength of numbers or weapons or might. All it takes is a single voice or a lone act of defiance to awaken change and throw a peacefully slumbering mass of deception into chaos and disorder. "In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot!" In 1955 in America, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the ‘coloured’ section of a bus so a white man could sit down. Though she was arrested, that single act of dissent turned into a year long boycott led by Martin Luther King Jr which culminated into a nationwide movement to end racial segregation.

Throughout history, men and women have dared to oppose the majority and defy those in power for various reasons. And many have paid the price heavily, often facing death, torture, imprisonment and exile in consequence of their bravery and resolve. But why were they willing to give up so much for the sake of their beliefs and values? I would say that it was solely because they knew exactly what was at stake, and on weighing both against each other, found it to be more important than the sacrifices they would have to make. 

Yes, dissent is absolutely essential, not merely for the sake of rebelling or creating conflict but because as Alan Barth said, "Criticism and dissent are the indispensable antidotes to major delusions."

The world that we live in today is no stranger to mass delusions. With the unmatched, wide reaching influence of social media, especially among youngsters, it has never been easier to control what people think and shape their perspectives and beliefs. We live in a progressive culture that has rejected free speech just for fear of causing "offense". We are taught that some views and opinions are unacceptable and that certain words or terms are unspeakable. They cause controversy and outrage. But we must remember that the silencing of any kind of dissent and criticism, even with the best of intentions, is an ominous sign of the approaching decay and death of democracy. Like Sydney Harris said, "One way to distinguish what is right and true from all its counterfeits is by its modesty. Truth demands only to be heard among others while its counterfeits demand that others be silenced."

We must therefore renounce the habit of blindly accepting everything that is taught to us. In a culture that values and glorifies compromise, let us dare to stand up for what we believe in!

Let me conclude with a few lines from the poem, ‘The Present Crisis’ by James Russell Lowell:                      

Once to every man and nation

Comes the moment to decide,

In the strife of truth with falsehood,

For the good or evil side;

Then it is the brave man chooses

While the coward stands aside,

Till the multitude make virtue

Of the truth they had denied!