You Deserve Better, So Better SPEAK UP!

2011 was the year that I learned to fight. Not in bad way of fighting, but on how I address the people who tend to criticize me online. I stood upon my principles and did my best to not feel inferior. In the end, they stopped sending me anonymous messages and hate mails slowly decreased. In that instant, I feel empowered and wrote more stories that I hoped would be inspirational to many.

And because there are a lot of avenues for information, we all should learn to SPEAK UP this 2012. After all, its a new year, and new hope springs among us all.

WE SHOULD SPEAK UP BECAUSE OF MISINFORMATION

Last week, a friend of mine posted in his Facebook Timeline that one of my favorite singers, Bon Jovi, died recently. Of course, my initial reaction is to get sad, but then as an instinct, I had to research about the story. It was only a few Google searches that I found out that the news is not true, and he is in fact very much alive. Imagine if thousands have already mourned for someone who isn't even taken away yet, wouldn't you SPEAK UP and correct these to avoid happening again?

WE SHOULD SPEAK UP AGAINST CYBER BULLYING

Celebrities are easily pawned for numerous criticisms and harsh remarks. Because they are the ones who are in the limelight, people can just comment all they want, without actually knowing the kind of person they are bullying. But what if you're just an ordinary citizen? We must always realize that everyone is equal when it comes to dealing with one's feelings. One example is Christopher Lao's mishap during the Quezon City flooding. If we were in his shoes, its already unfortunate that he got into that situation. We must SPEAK UP to protect the feelings of other people in times of bad luck.

WE MUST SPEAK UP AGAINST PLAGIARISM

As a Journalism graduate, plagiarism is always a no-no. During my first year in college, a girl once copied my seat work, thinking our professor wouldn't read our work. And then one day, I found myself meeting my professor after class because she wanted to suspend both of us for copying each other's work. I was shocked because I worked hard, but instead of a recognition, I was facing a permanent record on my transcript. If my friends did not SPEAK UP and told our professor that it is really mine, I would have been dismissed at my college and the rest of my writing career is history.

WE MUST SPEAK UP TO FIGHT FOR OUR BELIEFS

Starting the day we were born, God has given us a heart to feel and a mind to decide. Being silent about a certain issue might be a smart move for some, but in order to get the change that we long for, we should start speaking up because we do not deserve less. Especially for the honest people that we are.

WE NEED TO SPEAK UP TO FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS

Each of us is entitled to our own rights. Once it is taken away from us, they take away our free will. We need to SPEAK UP because our rights are part of our wholeness. We are born with it and we must protect them so we could be in control of our future.

We should SPEAK UP because we are better individuals if we learn to fight for our beliefs, our individuality, and our errors make us real people. It shouldn't matter which race or religion you come from, but this 2012, let us start to pick up from our mistakes and prevent getting less.  You deserve better. You deserve to SPEAK UP!