This week, I read Pain + Love = Growth by Nievera-Lozano and it reminded me of what was mentioned in lecture with regard to education and how it can influence the way we think. The essay highlights the struggles of Pinay women in the academy, as well as some practices such as the practice of silence or tiisin mo lang. In the later parts of the article, the author mentions how having safe spaces to communicate with others who share a similar story to hers or a story she can relate with helped with her own reflection which contrasts the silence they are used to practicing. This practice of silence can make one feel as if they are alone in their issue and that they are the odd-one-out for feeling that way but as we have seen in many chapters of this book, reaching out to others and sharing one’s stories and struggles can help one realize that they are not alone and that many others also share their struggles and experiences.
In that sense, it reminds me of how important it is – especially in these times of social distancing – how important it is to stay connected with others. We as people are social and require social interaction with others, as they say, “no man is an island.” This article reminds us that, even those who practice silence, even those who do not speak up, should have their voices heard. Looking back at the previous articles and essays we read, especially those like The Cost of Speaking, I notice that there is this contradiction where the best way to fix this problem is to speak up, yet those that do speak up are then shot down. In a sense, “the tallest nail gets the hammer.” My question then is, what can we do to make sure those who want to be heard can be heard? What can we do to create spaces where people feel free to express their stories and experiences?
Nievera-Lozano, M.-A. (2019). Pain + Love = Growth. In Fight the Tower. United States: Rutgers University Press
ms-openmic. (2013). Hammering nails [Online Image]. Retrieved from msopenmic.wordpress.com/
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