There are a group of people who would like to silence everybody

“There are a group of people who would like to silence everybody and have everyone go along to get along, but that is not going to be helpful for us in the long run... somebody has to be courageous enough to stand up to the bullies.” Thus spoke Ben Carson, physician and seeker of truth, in an age where voices trembled before judgment and the courage to speak was fading from men’s hearts. His words ring as a warning and a call — that comfort breeds decay, and that silence, when truth is endangered, is a slow poison to the soul of a nation.

In these words lies a deep lament: that mankind, desiring peace, often bows before the pressure of the loud and the powerful. The silencing of voices, the suppression of honest thought, is no mere act of politeness — it is the withering of freedom itself. To “go along to get along” seems at first a path of ease, but it leads to the stillness of death, for no progress is born where no dissent is allowed. Carson speaks as one who knows that truth, when caged, does not vanish; it festers, and the world sickens for want of it.

Consider the tale of Socrates, the old philosopher of Athens, who faced his accusers with calm defiance. The rulers and their followers sought to silence him, for his questions disturbed their comfort. They offered him escape, yet he refused, for his life was bound to truth. He drank the hemlock not as one defeated, but as one victorious — for he had stood against the bullies of thought, and his courage outlived their power. Thus, as Carson warns, societies that yield to silence their wisest voices will lose their way, wandering in the dark without the stars of truth to guide them.

It is easy to follow the herd, to murmur agreement while the conscience burns. But true courage is not the roar of anger — it is the steady voice that speaks when others tremble. The bullies Carson names are not only the loud ones in the public square; they are also the whispers of fear in our own hearts. They tell us to stay quiet, to blend in, to seek safety in conformity. Yet history has never been shaped by those who hid. Every advance, every liberty won, was forged by someone who dared to speak when silence was demanded.

Remember the story of Rosa Parks, a seamstress of quiet dignity. When told to give up her seat, she did not shout, she did not fight — she simply said no. Her defiance was small in act but infinite in meaning. In that moment, she stood up to the bullies, not with fists but with truth. And because of her courage, a nation began to awaken from the long slumber of injustice. Thus, the ancient truth is renewed: one voice, when firm and unyielding, can break the walls built by fear.

Carson’s words, though born in our modern age, echo the timeless wisdom of all who have fought for liberty of thought. To stand up is not merely to resist others; it is to preserve the soul within oneself. A people who no longer dare to question, to speak, or to disagree — they are no longer free. The tyrant needs no chains if the people willingly bind their tongues. Therefore, every person who dares to speak honestly becomes a guardian of freedom itself.

The lesson is clear, and it is grave: never let the fear of offense outweigh the duty to truth. Do not mistake comfort for peace, nor quiet for harmony. The world does not need more agreeable men — it needs steadfast ones. Be the soul who stands when others kneel, who speaks when others whisper. For when courage is shown, others find their voice too, and the silence of fear is broken by the chorus of truth.

So, my listeners, carry this wisdom with you as a shield against the creeping tyranny of conformity. In your homes, in your work, in the marketplace of ideas — speak with honor, act with courage, and never be silenced by fear. For as long as there are those willing to stand up to the bullies, truth shall not perish, and humanity shall not lose its soul.