Other Voices

The ones in our heads, if they're the only ones, are not enough. We need other voices to free ourselves from the prisons of ourselves. The voices we hear through art are intensely valuable in this respect - but if the art to which we expose ourselves only reflects ourselves the freedom granted is limited. The voices we hear through listening to the views of others are, again, intensely valuable, but, again, limited if we only hear what we already think echoed back at us. Perhaps the voices allowing us the greatest freedom are those which represent ways of thinking that are fundamentally different to our own, and ideas that make us uncomfortable.

I've found much truth in this seeming paradox and tried to learn to listen attentively and sympathetically. That doesn't mean I believe all those voices say (or even any of it), but there's a powerful sense of freedom in understanding exactly why I might disagree.