This morning, I committed to working on a project that scares me.
It’s a story that isn’t mine to tell. It delves into a topic I’m by no means an expert in. It makes me nervous. It would probably get me “cancelled.”
I’m writing it anyway.
Bad things happen when we censor ourselves as we create. Checking what you create as you create it stifles the flow of the process, like trying to keep half the water from flowing out the end of the tap. The goal should be to make the thing anyway. We don’t learn or discover or surprise ourselves if we bottle things up, the same way it’s problematic to try to censor your thoughts.
In the end, what matters is not our thoughts, but our words and actions. By the same token, what we create is not as important as what we share.
It’s important to ask, “Is it generous? Does this add to the conversation in a positive way?” If the answer is yes, share it. If not, don’t.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write it.
Not everything should be published.
joshua chamberlain 