To be or not to be

                         
                             I am someone who likes to speak up what i feel is correct.As someone said,"Speak up your truth even if your voice shakes".But this is a trait which has always put me in trouble.Speaking up the truth means you are going to ruffle many feathers.In Indian context we don't encourage dissenting.I went through all of my school and college education without asking a single question.Even though I had many doubts I was afraid I would make people unhappy.As Shakespeare said  the big question in front of all of us is "To be or not to be". 

                        Last few years I read considerable amount of Chinese Philosophy.One Chinese proverb which is one of my favorite is "If you keep silence you may earn a fortune."My favorite quote is "Those who talk don't know and those who don't talk know"-Lao Tzu. Even a fish can prevent getting hooked by not opening its mouth.But I have always believed permitting condour and dissent till we are not hurting others is the best way to make progress.We may not agree to someones views but we can always give a listening ear.In a democracy we agree to disagree.

                           If we look at the picture closely we clearly see that not opening the mouth to catch the bait would save the fish from being caught.On thinking over the picture another thought came to my mind.By being timid if the fish stops to open its mouth it will never get food.Ultimately it will die due to starvation.So it is in the interest of the fish to learn the differentiate between a bait and food.Similarly we as humans need to understand when to speak and when not to speak.Words can make or break.So our words should always be encouraging.When we are angry its better to keep our mouth shut.Words once spoken cant be taken back.If we don't stand up for something then we will end up falling for everything.So finally I would conclude it is better to take Buddha's middle path when it come to opening our mouth.