Never for the sake of peace and quiet deny your convictions.
~Dag Hammarskjold, Swedish Diplomat, Economist and Author, Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Are you guilty of this? I think we all are at some time or another.
The subject of the conviction could be a religious belief, a political stance, a societal or cultural or personal issue. It could be a conviction shared by many or only you.
The point is that it's important to stand up for what you believe and for what is right, whether it's a popular stance or not. The point is not to make a lot of noise and pick a fight for the sake of attention.
This may be a fine line in some cases.
I have found that for me personally, when it's a deep conviction, standing up to bully, detractor or source of authority is a knee jerk reaction, not something I have think about.
That is not to say that I have never made a lot of noise just to make a point. I have.
I make many mistakes as a parent, but one thing I have always been purposeful about with my kids is telling them what I stand up for and why. And they understand this and expect me to be strong and tough when the situation calls for it. They should never fear voicing their convictions or defending the rights of others who are mistreated or standing tall in the face of injustice or wrongdoing.
Do you take responsibility for upholding your convictions through words and actions or quietly stand in the corner biting your tongue because you don't want to cause a scene or you fear looking like a fool or think it's not your place to say something?
My philosophy....always speak what's on your heart and you can't go wrong. Your heart won't betray you over fear; your head might, but not your heart. Over and out...
Anna
Timely post, seeing as how I, for the first time ever, wrote to the Texas Education Agency with concerns over standardized testing and the toll it is taking on my students and my teaching. It felt good to stand up for my students!
Posted by: Chris | Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 02:02 PM