“I don’t know why I should even say anything. It’s not going to make a difference.”
I spoke these words to a good friend and spiritual mentor.
“Dustin, woah. Stop. Do you hear yourself? Do you really believe you shouldn’t say anything?”
“Well, of course not. But it feels completely hopeless,” I said.
We’ve long been convinced to remain silent, that whatever burdens lay on our hearts need not be spoken; can’t be spoken. There’s no way we can say it. After all, we’ve been conditioned not to say our inside thoughts out loud.
You’d think I have superpowers based on how many people tell me about what bothers them. Do they think I can solve all their problems, or do they just like to complain about them? But when I encourage them to say something to the people who could actually do something about their issues, crickets! In most cases, these are trivial issues. But in some cases, this involves immoral and criminal activity.
Whether large or small, when we see something that’s not right, we must speak out. When we fail to do so, we do no favors. Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, author, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, says it this way:
“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes, we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant… action is the only remedy to indifference: the most insidious danger of all.”
Elie Wiesel, in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech (1986)
Wiesel, who lived through two German concentration camps and the deaths of both his parents and his younger sister, understood it best: neutrality and silence only ever serve the oppressors and tormentors.
Aside: Switzerland famously remained neutral during World War 2, but they weren’t neutral. In reality, they were far from it. The Swiss fenced much of what was stolen from Jews. There’s really no such thing as neutrality. While silence is not always consent (especially in cases of abuse), the Swiss made a fortune off their “indifference” toward the Third Reich.
Wiesel calls for action, and so does Jesus’ brother James:
If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
James 4:17
If we know what good we ought to do and choose not to do it, we have sinned. So then, what keeps us from speaking the truth?
1. We think our voice won’t make a difference.
Perhaps other people have spoken up before to no avail. Maybe you’ve said something only to be hushed. As my friend mentioned, even if it feels hopeless, I am still responsible for saying something. Even if nothing happens and no meaningful change occurs, your words mean something to those you spoke up for, even if nothing else came from them.
2. We think it is someone else’s job
Legendary college football coach Joe Paterno’s legacy will forever be tarnished because of his choice not to report an assistant coach’s sexual abuse of young men. He knew of the abuse and allegedly reported it to the school’s president but never called the authorities. Maybe he figured someone else would do it. Yet, at some point, he had to have known that no charges were pressed and the abuser was still walking the streets, able to abuse others. Hoping someone else will say something never excuses you from the responsibility and burden you’ve been given. If it’s on your heart, it’s your responsibility.
3. We think we should offer grace
We often conflate grace with inaction. Grace is real, and it’s the basis of the Gospel. Yet, when dealing with pervasive immoral, criminal, or evil actions, we must say something. Some of the greatest grace I’ve received is a natural consequence of my actions to show me just how insidious my sin is. When I have to deal with the reality of my sin, it brings me before Jesus, who does, in fact, offer grace. But he also provides me a different path: a righteous path. Painful consequences can be a form of grace that helps us later avoid even more painful consequences down the road.
4. We think it’ll cost too much relationally
If we’re being honest, this may be the primary reason we don’t speak out. It’s socially awkward to have these conversations and people may not look at us the same. There are people who won’t talk to me anymore because I have spoken out in their defense. In other cases, I have shared a relatively small hurt with the hopes of reconciliation only to be ghosted. There is a relational cost to speaking the truth. While we should count the cost, it doesn’t free us of the burden to speak out (Proverbs 31:8-9).
So, where do we go from here?
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Attributed to Edward Burke
We must be willing to speak out when we see evil. We must stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. We must be willing to be misunderstood for the sake of sharing these difficult truths. We must stand up to evil and be men and women of action. May we never be silent about what truly matters. As Wiesel says, “Action is the only remedy of indifference.”
To automatically receive future articles, subscribe here.