I have a friend with hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.

He’s very controversial & outspoken and takes on the establishment from time to time. He’s also pilloried for his views and outbursts.

One day, I asked him about another individual we both know who also has hundreds of thousands of followers. I wondered why this person had never attacked him on Twitter, as it was an open secret that the person didn’t like him. His response was, “Sho, it’s a balance of terror. He knows if he attacks me, my followers will cut him to shreds on my behalf. Therefore, we have an unwritten agreement not to attack each other”.

Balance of terror.

I once wrote, “You don’t chase away darkness by complaining about the lack of light. You do so by shining a light.” When you speak, you are a lone voice shouting in the wilderness. Unless you’re willing to build your own power block (significant followership), your views won’t go far. You need a “balance of terror” to counteract opposing ideologies. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s this: The dominant voice in any society isn’t necessarily the voice that speaks the truth; it’s the voice that shouts the loudest. It’s not right, but it is what it is.

If you want your views to be heard; if you believe you’re the voice of reason or truth then you need to start shouting in a structured manner. You need networks and an audience to amplify your views. You may never become the dominant voice. But you will achieve a beautiful thing – you will provide an alternative for people who crave qualitative conversations. You will provide a perspective many may not have considered. If you fail to do anything, one day, you’ll wake up to realise that society is being run on ideologies you neither subscribe to nor believe in. It’s already happening.

[bctt tweet=”You don’t chase away darkness by complaining about the lack of light. You do so by shining a light” username=”subomiplumptre”]

[bctt tweet=”One day, you may wake up to find society being run on ideologies you neither subscribe to nor believe in.” username=”subomiplumptre”]