Stop writing. Don’t let clichés about the joys of reading and writing, book fairs, and sound bites about people’s love for books fool you. When the machetes come, no one will save you.
If you wrote well, statuses will pay tribute to you on Facebook. The news item about your death will go viral. People might even say they will continue the fight for you.
But the real writing, the only writing that will remain after the shock wears off, is on the wall for everyone to see and obey: Stop writing.
Writing upsets people. It may not upset everyone all the time, but if it upsets the wrong people just once, it could be fatal. Why take on the risk? Just stop writing.
What’s the point of writing editorials, petitions, blogs, op-eds, and shopping lists? What do they accomplish? Given the many lives already destroyed for writing, you probably censor yourself anyway. Yet, you can still get into trouble in ways you didn’t anticipate. If you’re not upsetting anyone, you might be accused of playing it safe and simply stating the obvious, so again, why bother?
If you have children, tell them to stop writing too. There’s no point in teaching them a skill that could get them killed. Don’t ever mention freedom of speech to them. If you do mention it, be sure to tell them that freedom of speech is a myth.
Tell them they might hear people go on and on about freedom of speech, but it doesn’t take much for those very same people to sacrifice it at the altar of self-interest.
It’s best to vaccinate children against desires and expectations of freedom while they’re young, so that they don’t grow up with ideals that will lead to crushing disappointment and disillusionment later when they struggle to choose between principles and self-preservation.
Now if everyone stops writing, don’t be surprised if those who once attacked you, eventually try to coax or provoke you into writing again.
Having an enemy cements bonds. It can turn a hapless group of bored youth into an organisation with a mission, with an implacable sense of purpose that will ensure the survival of the group.
They are because you are. Ubuntu.
I know you may find it hard to stop writing. When the urge to express yourself becomes too strong, scribble your thoughts on a piece of paper. And then burn it. Even then, I can’t guarantee you won’t have an audience.
If I were to continue writing, I would also write about the risks of thinking and speaking. But I should take my own advice and stop writing to set an example.
Let’s end the charade, stop beating about the bush, and kill freedom of speech in one swoop rather than watching it abruptly claim so many lives while dying a slow, painful, and certain death.