Short Stories and Writing exercises

Exercise #2 opinion

Today I decided to write something close to my heart. I was shocked and torn apart with different takes on this tragedy at the same moment. I decided to write an ode, an opinion, a voice, dedicated to the twelve victims that were silenced by a bullet. I’m not at all comfortable with submitting something this personal as my opinion out to the great internet. I’m terribly afraid of how others will judge me after having read this, but it is only fair to the artists, colleagues, writers, reporters and normal people that get silenced every day. Today I’ll be a bit more reckless, a bit more brave for you all.  This one is for Charlie, for all the Charlies out there.

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What a mess… twelve people at Charlie Hebdo dead because ‘they drew first’. It’s a terrible shame to see people being punished like this for their opinion. I’m not thick enough to claim this is exceptional in our world. The same happens every day in different countries. It has happened before in human history, even animal history. It happens in different cultures and even in our own environment we encounter violence or opposition because of what we feel or think. People all over the world are being punished for who they are and what they believe because there are those who defend their opinion with tooth and nail. Still, the attack on Charlie Hebdo made me think about the lengths people can go to defend their opinion. All they defend is air and a feeling inside of them. A strange world we live in when people with a pencil become targets, people with the guts to voice their opinion. Artists are dreamers. Sometimes I’m not too different. Artists shape their ideal world, voice their view, in a piece of art. They express this to the masses, so others don’t have to. We all face people who try to stop us, who feel offended by our presence, but only we can change this.

 My mother tried and still tries to teach me an important lesson; Not taking everything personal. I find this a difficult lesson, but the more I try, the more I realise everyone has the right to have their own opinion without being harassed by others who disagree. Not taking everything to heart. Letting people talk. It can really be that easy. It gives you peace and gives peace to those around you. When someone doesn’t agree with you, doesn’t mean they have to change. It neither means you have to change, but it simply means that you don’t share the same opinion. Nothing wrong with that. You just have to accept it, maybe you won’t get along on that topic. It sure as hell doesn’t mean you should avoid, harass, convert or kill that other person. I’m not an artist, but this part of me feels strongly connected to the world and even now, especially with this I feel the need to voice my opinion and share it with people. I don’t do this to hurt you, or to make sure you and I think alike, I am writing this because I have the urge to get it off my chest and want to help you understand my view by sharing the experiences I’ve had. Who knows maybe you can enrich your life by adding the opinion someone else to yours. Don’t change because I said so, change because you want to, or don’t, It’s really none of my business.

If we are artists, our tools are a means to an end, a megaphone to carry the voice of change, the voice of progress. A wish for a better world. This isn’t just about artists, but this attack today just got an awful lot closer. It was unexpected-

Now that I’m starting to read the discussion about people voicing their opinion in my own country and how people cursing and accusing each other for being shallow or emotionless and gagging for attention. I think I won’t submit this.

And this is exactly why I will submit this. This is my point. And if I can’t be any more clear for you I’m sorry. Artists have always been at war with the order or the way people believe things are. Artists are at war with reality. Unfortunately in this war there are also casualties, but it doesn’t mean we’ll ever stop fighting.

I still don’t know if I’m brave enough to share this. Still I have no right to blow of my ivory tower when I’m afraid myself, but if don’t speak up now, I’ll have thrown away all the ideals I’ve just preached. I want to apologise for being preachy, but I know I shouldn’t. I should be proud. We should all be proud. Proud of who we are, what we stand for and what we’ve done or didn’t do. Maybe one day we’ll realise the privilege we take from people by hushing their voices, or maybe we won’t. In any case it’s your life, not mine.

So hereby I’ll share my voice to say:

JE. SUIS. CHARLIE. (ausi:) )