by Leslie Lello

Created on: January 20, 2009

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
Mahatma Gandhi

Anytime a person does not speak their truth, they are not fulfilling the deep call of creation and personal expression, vital to themselves and their society.

As an artist, expression is my work. I almost was going to say "personal expression" but it's only personal until it is born. Then it belongs to the world.

In the times that my fear has silenced me, I have felt like I have done an injustice to my fellow humankind because the things that I create are born unto me but they are for the world, and they are necessary not only for me but because I am creating a sentiment that is rooted in yearning from the collective consciousness of society.

Haven't you ever had a moment when someone says something and it is the exact perfect thing that needed to be said? If that person had remained silent, everyone affected by his or her statement would have been robbed of the opportunity to share that moment of shared expression.

Or have you ever witnessed an artistic piece of music that was so perfectly executed that it went beyond words? That said so much of something you've wanted to express but didn't know how? When that music hits you, it pours out of your skin and resonates with ever cell in your body. It's such a fulfilling feeling!

So I discuss the topic of silence and fear and speaking out from an artistic point of view, but on a larger scale, it is the Ghandis of the world, those that express and speak out and while connected to a higher source for that expression, that are as vital as the artists to society.

Ghandi did not say anything that many had not been feeling for a long time, but he was the one that had the courage to speak out.

And that is why it is vital for you to speak out.

Many fear recrimination, and their fears are justified. Many of the United States founding fathers died of poverty or early death, but look at the gift and the legacy of their creation! They risked their lives for what they believed in, and that has left us with a system of government that isn't perfect, but is one of the best in the world, IMHO.

Though there may be a price to pay for taking a stand, there is great generosity in the individual that speaks out on behalf of others.

Fear comes from the lowest part of ourselves, and, while it is human and normal to feel fear, there is always an alternative perspective that will outweigh fear if you let it.

Imagine if Ghandi or the U.S. founding fathers had let fear get in the way of them speaking out.

You've hear the term "Feel the fear and do it anyway." I think they were talking about personal expression when that line was coined.

Have courage, friend. Stand up. Speak out. You could be the next Ghandi

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