Slience is a stand.
9 AUG 2025
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Political Philosophy
Once, I thought politics was dirty.
I believed that if I stayed neutral, I could somehow keep myself safe-untouched by its mess, immune to its conflicts.
Politics, I assumed, was a game for power-hungry people in smoky rooms and high offices, not for a 18 yr old like me.
But what I understand now : everything is political.
The clothes I choose to wear can be political. The language I speak, the stories I choose to tell, and the stories I choose to ignore, they are political. Even silence, the act of turning away, is a political statement.
The education we receive, the voices we amplify, and the ones we leave unheard, this counts as a political opinion.
Deciding you don't care doesn't mean you're outside that web, it means you've chosen to let others decide for me.
To live in a society is to be bound to it. When we refuse to engage, we practice what they call the politics of escape. It feels comfortable in the short term, but it leaves us powerless in the long term.
Politics means knowing where you stand. It means having clarity about your values and the courage to defend them, even when it puts you at odds with the majority.
It's not always as dramatic. Sometimes it's as simple as refusing to laugh at a harmful joke, questioning why certain voices are missing from the room, or choosing to spend your money in ways that align with your beliefs. Other times, it means speaking up when it would be far easier to stay quiet.
Politics is not about becoming aggressive or combative-it's about becoming aware. It's about refusing to pretend that our choices have no impact. The truth is, we all have a stake in the way our societies are shaped. Whether we admit it or not, whether we speak up or stay silent, we are part of that shaping. To believe we can be neutral is to believe unicorns exist.
I am no longer “apolitical.” I have opinions. I have values. I have a voice. And I understand that politics is not just for “people chasing power.” It is for anyone who cares about the kind of world we live in and the kind of world we leave behind.
The question is not whether we will be political-it's whether we will choose to engage with intention, or let others write the story for us. This was in In defence of politics.
Politics, I assumed, was a game for power-hungry people in smoky rooms and high offices, not for a 18 yr old like me.
But what I understand now : everything is political.
The clothes I choose to wear can be political. The language I speak, the stories I choose to tell, and the stories I choose to ignore, they are political. Even silence, the act of turning away, is a political statement.
The education we receive, the voices we amplify, and the ones we leave unheard, this counts as a political opinion.
Deciding you don't care doesn't mean you're outside that web, it means you've chosen to let others decide for me.
To live in a society is to be bound to it. When we refuse to engage, we practice what they call the politics of escape. It feels comfortable in the short term, but it leaves us powerless in the long term.
Politics means knowing where you stand. It means having clarity about your values and the courage to defend them, even when it puts you at odds with the majority.
It's not always as dramatic. Sometimes it's as simple as refusing to laugh at a harmful joke, questioning why certain voices are missing from the room, or choosing to spend your money in ways that align with your beliefs. Other times, it means speaking up when it would be far easier to stay quiet.
Politics is not about becoming aggressive or combative-it's about becoming aware. It's about refusing to pretend that our choices have no impact. The truth is, we all have a stake in the way our societies are shaped. Whether we admit it or not, whether we speak up or stay silent, we are part of that shaping. To believe we can be neutral is to believe unicorns exist.
I am no longer “apolitical.” I have opinions. I have values. I have a voice. And I understand that politics is not just for “people chasing power.” It is for anyone who cares about the kind of world we live in and the kind of world we leave behind.
The question is not whether we will be political-it's whether we will choose to engage with intention, or let others write the story for us. This was in In defence of politics.