Those who “Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves”

(This is the weekly focus on Health: The Whole Person. I take whatever part or parts of the whole person that I choose to focus on, including fitness, diet, social relations, the medical professions, etc.)

Are among the most arrogant of all. Because unless you are very careful, you may not actually know what “those who cannot speak” want said for them.

I bring this up only because my voice has been failing me again. This Sunday I couldn’t sing. When I relaxed the vocal box and let the diaphragm pour air over the cords, neither high, mid nor low ranges would activate. I was a person who could not sing, could not speak for myself.

So I went to the Doctor’s today to see what he said, and got on another series of steroids, like we tried for my voice two years ago. But again it made me realize exactly how valuable it is to be able to speak for oneself. When you lose your voice, literal or figurative, you are at the mercy of other people. And sometimes their mercy is more than you really want.

Even when you are quite eloquent with words, it is sometimes possible to one of the one’s who cannot speak. And what you thought you wanted said for you can suddenly be very different than what you do.