EDITORIAL: SILENTLY SPEAKING

Throughout my past and current 18 years, I have had a lot of people ask, “Shalee, why don’t you speak the way you write?” and I reply by saying, “What do you mean? Am I supposed to?”  Well, most people have told me that the answer is … well … indeed, yes.

My point of view on this is the complete opposite, because the way I choose to write is expressed differently than the way I choose to talk. As I talk, I have noticed that I get nervous or anxious whenever I try and hold a conversation, which makes it difficult for me to use big words or to make it sound in a way that shows more emotion.

While writing helps me to focus, it also helps me to speak silently. Many people will not understand my thoughts on this, but if you think about it for a moment you will notice that there are many different ways of speaking without verbally doing so. There are other options like sign language, writing (which is the route I have chosen), taking pictures, and many others. These are a few examples that show that you can speak without verbally doing so.

In high hopes of answering all the questions regarding to why I “don’t speak the way I write,” this may possibly answer your questions.  I do speak the way I write, I just express it silently, through handwritten words rather than expressing it verbally. As Ernest Agyemang Yeboah said, “real silence is silence without words, silence that speak words in silence and silence that talks better than words.”