Self Censorship

            The connotation associated with censorship is that it is a bad thing. Opinions also vary on the idea of censorship—some people are for it and others are not. There is one form of censorship that seems to work well with life and that is self censoring our thoughts. We don’t say everything we think in order to spare the feelings of others, to abstain from hurting our own feelings or just to be polite. However, at certain ages, we lose our censors at the expense of others.

            I will tell you a story. I have just recently started a job as a waitress to the place I have worked the past 2 summers. I pretty much knew the clientele was of the retired age and older. Sometimes these people are very courteous and other times they love to complain, especially on rainy days. As I was trying to be as nice as possible for a good tip, this couple just blurted out, “The food was better last year.” They said it so nonchalantly, like, “How’s the weather outside?” or “Can I have another drink?” that I was taken aback. I was wondering if they even noticed their bluntness. They seemed fine with what they said, like nothing was wrong with it. I could tell there was not a single ounce of remorse for what they said, thus no censor.

            The same can be said of children. If you ever spend time with small children under the age of 7, they don’t keep their mouths shut. There is screaming, yelling and pointing out the blatantly obvious. There is no censor for a child, but as the child grows older, he or she realizes that saying what is in his or her head isn’t right.

            Here comes the question of the week. Is it right? Should we suppress our true feelings in order to be polite? Or should we be wise like the elderly or pure like children and just say what we think?