Can I tell you my tale?

Summary

The author reflects on the paradox of freedom of expression in the digital age, where platforms exist to share stories but people are hesitant due to fear of judgment.

Abstract

The author discusses the irony of having numerous platforms for sharing stories, yet feeling restricted in expressing oneself due to fear of judgment. The author highlights the prevalent issue of people engaging in inconsequential social media exchanges, often about topics they are not familiar with, while missing out on the simple niceties of life. The author encourages readers to share their own stories and experiences, as these can be a source of inspiration and help others navigate life's challenges.

Opinions

The author believes that the lack of freedom of expression is a significant issue in today's society, despite the availability of numerous platforms for sharing stories.
The author suggests that people are hesitant to express themselves due to fear of judgment, even from those close to them.
The author criticizes the tendency of people to engage in inconsequential social media exchanges, often about topics they are not familiar with.
The author encourages readers to share their own stories and experiences as a way to inspire others and help them navigate life's challenges.
The author acknowledges that some people will judge no matter what, but suggests that this should not deter individuals from sharing their stories.

Avenues everywhere, but are we ready to bare?

Ironically, my story on Medium is titled this, yet the elephant in the room had to be addressed — perhaps the greatest misnomer of our times: Freedom of expression! Even those constantly warring on social media with extremely polarized opinions do so, in my opinion, due to the lack of freedom of expression.

As bizarre as this might sound, we have avenues in front of us, platforms to share our experiences and stories that we could possibly tell a billion people who don’t even share our time zones. TED talks and podcasts are a reality today! But how many of us are getting there? Not many. It’s probably because we feel tied down! Issues of religion, genocides, and calamities are discussed at length and scrutinized all guns blazing. Tempers soar, and friendships even turn sour. But we are reeling in the constant fear of being judged and refrain from telling our own little stories to our own little world.

A classic millennial problem — I had a rough day and I want to speak about it! Be it a bad day at work, a spat with my folks, or simply a rant to get the much-needed ‘emo’ relief, (even though my smartphone tells me that I have 100 apps to help me do this), I hesitate to talk or write about it. After several attempts at writing and rewriting stuff, I stop short of expressing myself! WhatsApp status messages, pictures/messages/posts on other platforms too are constantly judged by some people known/unknown to us. Thus, the very platforms that promise to provide us the so-called freedom of expression take it away from us completely, as we also do not wish to ‘offend’ people, especially our near and dear!

So here is what we do! Police a few people here and there and engage in inconsequential social media exchanges even on stuff that we are not remotely associated with or have a clue about! Engulfed by completely, sometimes misplaced ideas on various issues like religion and patriotism, are we missing out on the simple niceties of life?

Improv artists, businessmen, filmmakers, and successful people, in general, have all drawn inspiration from the tales of people, very ordinary people like you and me! This slice-of-life exchange of tales might be so refreshingly humbling that we might forget our verbal weapons for the next online war! So, I am going to tell my tale starting today unabashed to help my community to navigate this sine wave called life, as I realize the ones that judge will judge no matter what.

Now, would you tell me your tale too?