Is listening enough?

I awoke on my day off determined to write something. Anything. Over a cup of burnt coffee I wracked my brain trying to think of what I had to contribute to our societal discourse in this moment. Every day we face fresh tragedies, injustices, sources of collective pain. In my mind, frustration, anger, sadness, helplessness and fear layer into an unsavory cake. It can be difficult to think clearly.

I decided to spend time reading others’ words before putting my own metaphorical pen to metaphorical paper. I got to work browsing Twitter and Medium for essays to read, opening each in a new browser tab as I went along. By two in the afternoon I had finally closed out enough tabs to arrive back at the empty draft I had created in the morning. Though I had been moved and inspired by the pieces I’d read, the stark white page stared me down as if to intimidate me out of even trying.

Then I thought about how many other people are currently sitting in front of their computer screens just like me, hands hovering over keyboards, wanting to say something but not knowing exactly what or how to express themselves.

I started to wonder: during this time of upheaval, should everyone chime in with their opinions and feelings? Why are so many individuals clamoring to wave their subjective versions of reality like flags in the wind? Does everyone’s story hold equal weight right…