Silence is Not Always Golden

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was a great English statesman, author and philosopher.  Mill was thought to be one of the greatest minds of the 19^th century when it came to political philosophy.  John Stuart Mill developed much of the thinking we have today on freedom and liberty.  He believed in the abolition of slaves in the U.S., the rights of women and freedom of speech.  Few today can compare to the clear and powerful thinking and teaching of John Stuart Mill when it comes to liberty and person freedom.

John Stuart Mill was known also for his constant warning to people – all people – that tyranny and injustice breeds in the empty spaces of those who remain silent.  “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” Mill said in 1867.  Then as now, many saw and were distressed by the evil all around them, however, rather than actually doing something about it they choose to complain and stay in what can be called “the silent majority”.

“A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction,” Mill said, “and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.”  The misconception many people have is if they do not get involved then they are not responsible for the results.  That kind of thinking is as wrong as the evil itself.  Once we become aware of wrong, injustice, denial of liberties, and evil in our time we are responsible to not just oppose it but to destroy it.

We live in a time when the liberties we face are being denied us every day.  Political correctness, so called equal rights and special interests are destroying our nation and our way of life.  We are fed lie after lie that we are the ones who are wrong for opposing such nonsense.  We are told that all people deserve equal rights no matter who they are, what they do or what they believe.  The truth is, under our constitution, we all do.  That is not what these special groups want, they desire to take away your freedoms and replace them with the bondage of immorality and constraint.

So what can the average person do to reclaim our society for what is good and right?  Simply said, do not ignore it.  Speak up when you can (and you always can).  Run for political office.  This election season we are seeing a surge in non-political people running for office.  That is a great and hopeful sign.  It is time to return to a government of the people and by the people.  Work to limit the power of government and remove it from our schools, our health care and our private lives.  Be an active and refuse to be a victim.

Too often we have taken pride in seeing ourselves as the silent majority in this country.  What we have missed is that our silence has created the very problems we so deeply oppose.  The time for those who believe in what is good and right has come.  People are no longer sitting on the side lines keeping quiet and allowing the few evil and destructive people to dictate our lives.  This is exciting and reason for great hope in our future.

You can make a difference.  This nation needs you and you have the power and ability to do what it takes to make the change we need.  It is only when we take a stand for what we know is right and good that we will see change.  It takes courage and it takes a willingness to persevere no matter how long.  When you know what is right you are responsible to do what is right.  Right will always win when those who believe in right take a stand.  As John Stuart Mill said, “One person with a belief is equal to ninety-nine who have only interests.”

To discover how you can achieve the dream you have believed was impossible for too long, read On The Journey To Achievement by John Patrick Hickey.  You can get a signed copy for yourself and get one for a friend, by going to http://www.johnpatrickhickey.com/it-is-good-to-set-goals-better-to-achieve-then/.  Now available on Kindle, Oops! Did I Really Post That? Online Etiquette in the Digital Age by John Patrick Hickey.

© 2016 John Patrick Hickey. No part of this may be reprinted or published without permission of the author.