Mind Over Blather: Outspoken consequences

My Grandfather is one of the smartest individuals I have the pleasure of knowing. He doesn't have much of a formal education, but can do anything, and knows more than plenty of academia  folks walking around today. That in itself is smart, but what makes him incredibly smart to me has something to do with one thing in particular..And that is understanding the weight of what he says. He is a serious quiet man who does way more listening than he does talking, and usually when he does open his mouth to say something important everyone around listens. Why? Because his thoughts are well organized and logical, he has analyzed whatever situation has been discussed, and talked about, so he is calm and to the point. I have never heard the man raise his voice, nor go off on some tangent that has nothing to do with the subject, and his points are based on a good mixture of experience, feelings, knowledge, and common sense. The thing that he understands most is that what you say, good and bad has weight and consequence, so it better be something that you can stick by, and live with, and not sound like an idiot spouting. Needless to say, the man has never come close to sounding like an idiot in all the time that I was raised by him and my Grandmother. He has always said, "Say whatever you want. It's a free country, but take the responsibility of your words."

Which brings me to my topic of just that. What led me to this thought process was the (As of writing, temporary) suspension of  Hank Williams Jr. from ESPN for comparing the President of the United States to Adolph Hitler, who is arguably one of the most evil individuals and mass murderers that has walked on the planet. A completely idiotic thing to say and spew out off the top of his head, but this is a free speech society, and he is allowed to say it, as people say idiotic stuff all of the time. So his involvement with Monday Night Football was suspended. I have heard cries from folks that his free speech was trampled on. That's a load of bull. He said what he said without going to prison, or someone knocking at his door, and dragging him away to some undisclosed location. But the people who were employers of him did not like the association, and how he represented himself, which is hand in hand with them, so they did damage control. Fair enough. If you open your mouth to say stuff, you have every right to say what you want, but understand that things you say have consequences, and you are responsible for your words. It would be all the same if I worked for a particular company, and trashed that company all over some news interview, and they got wind of it, and fired me. I certainly had a right to say whatever it was, but I should expect a reaction. And the reaction is concrete consequences in motion. If I am unhappy about being fired, I'm sure that someone would have the stones to say to me, "You should have thought of that before opening your mouth". Because that's the thing that gets most people in trouble. Not understanding or even expecting fallout from running at the mouth. If people understood their responsibility role in what they say, less stupid things might get said..Wishful thinking of course.

I am all for people speaking their mind, because that is what this place is all about, but most people seem utterly shocked when they ramble, and state things off the top of their heads without thinking, and there is a backlash of reaction. Usually the folks who claim to speak their mind, really don't seem to use it when opening their mouth. Sometimes "I speak my mind" is just code for "I don't think about what I say before I say it." The smartest folks that I know seem to be pretty quiet until something needs to be said, and when it gets said, it is usually well thought out, and can be discussed as substantial. And after they speak, even if the response is controversial, it has been stated in such a matter that it is mature in thought process, and explained in such a well rounded fashion, that the consequences are minimal because there was thinking involved. Now of course sometimes we as individuals will say the wrong things because we are human and we all make mistakes. But we are more likely to forgive someone who originates from speaking their mind in a rational manner as opposed to someone just babbling without any grey matter behind their words.
There are positive consequences also for what you say. Speaking out for injustices, or correcting wrongs, or whistle blowing about corruption has consequences also, but those consequences are usually a framework for change for the better. Ghandi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela...All individuals who understood the consequences and weight of their words, but also understood and took responsibility of what was going to be heaped upon them because of it. The ultimate goal for these men was to suffer those consequences, and be the focus for a cause bigger than themselves. Not just to gain attention to themselves for the sake of self indulgence.

You are supposed to learn at an early age about the consequences of what you say. In my world, if I talked back or dare swore, there were consequences that I would still be healing from today. How you conduct yourself, and what you say has positive residuals, and negative consequences, and it's important to know what those are, and when they will happen in order to be respected by folks. If you spout off at the mouth too many times, people will at first be shocked, and ready to condemn you, but then they will just dismiss you, and ignore anything you say labeling it as a joke. There will be people who will disagree with what you say, but if you state things with knowledge, facts, and conviction, even your disagreeing parties will respect you, and your consequences will be minimal, because what you say will always be seen as a valuable opposite opinion, and straight shooting dialogue. Straight shooter means getting to the point, not shooting from the hip wildly.

I saw it at an early age from my Grandfather. Everything you say has weight, and if you know that, you will think about what you say, and when you say it, and be responsible. And you will know also when to just shut up. Yes we have free speech here, and the protection of free speech is mostly to protect things we don't like, because why would you need to protect speech that you do like. But that freedom comes with a price of scrutiny, reaction, and sometimes consequences. You can say whatever you want, just be prepared for someone to react however they want. And if you work for someone, or are a representative of an entity that you are an image for, that reaction just may cost you money..As in not having any. So my Grandfather lives his life with a great concept and idea..And that idea is that having free speech means not using it because it's there. Sometimes knowing when to keep your mouth shut is the greatest freedom of all.