I’ve never been the “loud” one. If I’m new somewhere I’m not going to strike up a conversation with the first person I meet, and I’ve never tried to make myself the center of attention. Though I’m not taciturn, a lot of people consider me pretty shy until I really get to know them, and because of that, a lot of people think I don’t have opinions, I don’t have something to say. Well they’re wrong.

Our world is dominated by primarily by loud people. There are politicians who scream to get their point across in debates, and celebrities are always headlining the tabloids. These people don’t seem to think before they talk, but for some reason the conjecture is made that they speak, therefore they are. But my question is this: What does always talking make someone? Better? Smarter? More perfect?


?I think that always being loud actually has a downside. Have you ever noticed that it’s hard to pay attention to perfect-A+ student-always has the right answer-always talking about something-sucks up to teacher-everyone loves girl who’s always talking? The more they say, the less value it has, and before you know it you don’t pay attention anymore. Think about the last time you heard the quiet kid who never talks speak up in class though. I bet you listened, and they probably had something worthwhile to say too. And I bet they planned out and thought about what they were going to say; it wasn’t just on the spot.

Why did this person speak up? Because something really mattered to them, and they had to express their opinion. Does this mean that the only time a quiet person has an opinion is when they speak up? No, but maybe other times a loud person has already spoken up for them, or they’ve tried to speak, but no one listened.

Often when I speak up, its because its about something I deeply care about, and I think other people could agree with me and that I actually have a good point. Why don’t I speak up every time? Well, coming from a quieter person, I don’t have all the confidence in the world the way others may, and because it’s an opinion, I want others to agree with me. Anyone will admit, it’s to hear what others think of your opinion, especially if they don’t agree.

I’m not saying that everyone should stop talking, but at the same time we shouldn’t all be talking over each other. I believe there’s a happy medium we need to discover to let everyone speak up and be heard. But until we find it, voices will be lost and overwhelmed. We, the quiet ones and the loud ones, together are the only ones who can change this. We are the voices that talk too much. We are the ones who need to take that risk and speak up. We are the ones with the opinions and ideas that change the world.