Most of us dislike friction. Dislike to be dragged into unpleasant interactions. It is part of our personality that makes us social beings. It is also a necessary trait that helps us recognize that others' may disagree with us and deal with it in a civilized manner. However, there are many occasions where this approach should not be taken. Here are a few examples.
1. Stray dog menace in the neighborhood. Makes it difficult to go for solitary walks. Not easy to take our pet out. We are too busy to look up the concerned authority and complain. We may even try once or twice and give up with the other side doesn't pick up the phone or answer the email. We grumble and move on. We set ourselves up for repeated suffering.
2. Poor service when traveling. Airline staff. Taxi cabs. Ticket inspectors. We have a train / plane to catch; so we can't take enough time out to complain. They get away. Next time we go through the same place, we suffer again. Silently.
3. Government service delivery. We put up with apathy and other attitudes. "what can we do?" we ask.
4. Politics - local, regional and national. We don't like to pressured to pay donations. One particular action of a corrupt politician doesn't affect us directly, so we make a few glib comments among friends and move on.
Surely the world is full of such examples. We suffer silently. As a result, we suffer repeatedly.
Speak up. Even if you don't make a scene right there, use the internet as a medium to let your views be known. Send emails. Post on facebook. Complain on online consumer forums. Tweet about it. Ask like minded people to speak up along with you. Yes, there are huge number of people out there who will agree with you.
It is a start. An opening to make a difference. A great alternative to suffering silently.
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