The main reason people give for not speaking up is fear. They fear retaliation or fear that their idea or opinion will be ridiculed or not valued. These fears are real and as a recovery community it is imperative that we create an environment where it is safe and OK to speak up and offer an opinion that might be different or in the minority. Afterall, if we are all sitting around the table thinking the same thing, someone isn’t thinking. Bad news never gets better with age, and it is important to foster a recovery environment where problems are addressed in a timely fashion without the fear of reprisal.
Secrets keep us sick and the disease flourishes in the darkness of lies and deceit. Honesty and truthfulness are the flashlights that can dispel the darkness. Do I have the courage of my convictions to “say something if I see something?” Do I have the courage to “speak truth to power?”