These words apply to a lot. Retaining our physical and mental strength can rely on how much we exercise our body and mind. Mechanical items can wear out, but they are just as vulnerable to lack of use. Things in motion tend to stay in motion, but lack of use of anything can cause it to become weak or to stop working at all. This applies to your right to speak up, and out, against actions that you find objectionable.
This Independence Day, I ask that you recommit yourself to using your voice. Individual voices matter; many voices speaking together can matter a lot. We have many examples of single voices carrying the day at a town meeting, just as we know the power of the many coming together. The protection of Cape Cod Bay from dumping, the preservation of the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve, the near unanimous approval of water quality investments from Falmouth to Provincetown and most towns in-between are all examples of the power of the collective voice. There are more.
The need for that collective voice is now greater than ever as national political winds are blowing hard against common sense environmental protections. We all need to speak up for what is right. This is true not just because silence is complicity, but because our voices matter individually and as part of the collective. But our voices, just like our body and mind, need to be used. Not speaking up when the moment requires it may mean the opportunity to do so in the future is lost as well.
