Why would a person take a chance to do something in public and possibly be rejected? I think back to what makes life seem legitimate.  Is it because we take steps to earn intangible things, like self-respect? We don't all wish to be accepted by others, but most people do wish to be heard.  Even graffiti artists and anonymous comments to newspaper editors reflect voices that seek an outlet.  So, what makes it hard for many people to discover their preferred forms of self-expression?  What holds people back from revealing opinions and feelings to strangers and to people they know?

Some people fear what others may think.  They fear beginning to understand the sources of their judgment.  They fear stumbling on the key to experiencing inner peace.  Most of us could benefit from sifting through our thoughts and feelings to realize better what we're trying to understand.  Are we disconent about some aspect of our existence? Are we searching for answers to questions that seem constantly out of reach?  The source of inner peace isn't a dream.  Not learning how to communicate leads to a real disconnect between thoughts, views and feelings.

To rediscover simplicity may seem more challenging than it really is.  It's seen as human nature to imagine the worst before it happens, even if the worst won't happen.  We have to re-learn how to interrupt and recondition the nature of our thinking.  Writing permits us to learn free flow of words. Once we redefine the reasons for and context of our word choices, we will realize the benefits of wider feedback. This helps us better understand ourselves and why we're here right now.

We can learn to appreciate the silence.  Yet, we must also learn to appreciate the impact of thoughts and feelings as they take shape in words. They echo inside our minds.  As we learn to step back and hear what words say to us from outside ourselves, our interpretation and self-understanding can differ greatly.