Death by Silence
The tidal wave is coming. Your only hope is to stand fully, imperfectly, as yourself.
It was a dangerous question to ask on social media.
On Facebook this week, I asked (here)
“On issues of politics, faith & justice - why do u choose to stay silent on social?”
It was a real shit show of answers.
Some remarked that discussing these issues would harm their business.
Others said they refused to remain silent in the face of injustice.
More people said that talking about these things on social media would never change the mind of another person.
All of these answers miss the point:
The real question, that actually answers this question, is thus:
“Will you genuinely and truthfully share what matters to you with the world?”
That is the actual fundamental question.
Cowardice holds back.
A strategic person tries to manipulate the conversation.
An emotionally out-of-control person fights to save the world, or save themselves, one tweet at a time.
A fully alive, completely compelling human being shares who they are without the need to measure, manipulate, or guess the response.
They stand in the public square with their shoulders back, and they say:
“This is who I am. I cannot be anyone else.”
I think there is a reckoning coming.
It’s coming with a sickening thud of AI-generated content that will overwhelm the marketplace and create an abundance of noise.
Your vanilla, your beige, your lack of personal voice, your hiding your values so as not to offend or alienate?
This will ultimately destroy your business.
What will make a person followable in 2026 is not their safety, their knowledge, the massive amount of content they produce, or their ability to manipulate the social space.
Purity is what will make you stand out.
And this will surprise you — not the kind of puritanical, perfect presentation of a professional brand, or whatever the fuck that means.
It will be pure imperfection.
A commitment to roughness.
A resolute determination to be real, vulnerable, and imperfect.
A strong sense that you are not here to please everyone OR to generate business, but to simply be yourself.
This is your only point of differentiation in a world that is coming upon us at lightning speed, like a tidal wave.
Will you be you?
Fully, completely, unwaveringly kind, and uncompromisingly brave?
That is the question.
How will you answer?
Being authentic takes courage and confidence...I can say every day I have to break my silence even with no agreement. It's a small world if I don't and I don't want to live in it.