People do not seem to realise that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I had a good laugh – perhaps more a really long, broad, and deep smile listening. “I’ll give it some thought.”

Bill Nighy was on the Brendan O’Connor Show in RTÉ Radio One last week. Like many of Brendan’s interviews, this one is worth listening back to. Especially the bit in the second half, when Nighy shared his memory about the time in his life when he tried to live without having an opinion – which, he admits, at times became quite irritating to other people.

While for him, “it was fun, it was really good fun. I didn’t last very long. I lasted a few weeks. I did it for various reasons. I got sick of the sound of my own voice. It was just hard having opinions.

You need a collection of stock phrases, like “I’ll give that some thought”, or “Leave that with me, I’m going to think about that”.

I had to smile because I heard echoes in my head. Echoes of conversations with people who I have met over the past years who seemed to be extremely sympathetic to our situation and that of all the other families who have become our friends.

I had to smile because, all of a sudden, I realised that statements I had interpreted as being supportive, in reality were no more than a lack of opinion; a lack of understanding; a lack of caring.

I listened to the interview having spent the best part of last week talking to each of the 16 ‘core’ families attending An Saol about their experience. An experience that they struggled to find words for. An experience thankfully beyond the imagination of anybody not directly affected.

Not having an opinion on injustice. Not having an opinion on what is right and what is wrong. Refusing moral judgment.

Supports the status quo.

A status quo that can be a death sentence for those who are dependent on change.

Like the three people below who were told that there was no hope. No case for trying. Just relax and keep yourself comfortable. No point in wasting any more precious resources on your hopeless situation. Prepare yourself for departure.

Well – they, and many others, are far from saying goodbye. In fact, they are improving beyond expectations and, most importantly, they are enjoying life. They’d rather live.

Where people suffer beyond description and where people needlessly die – sitting on the fence, not having an opinion, giving it some thought – amounts to complicity and moral abdication.

The moral weight of a moment falls not only on actors, but also on bystanders.

People must realise that their opinion of the world is a confession of character.

Every day, we see examples of extraordinary courage and determination.

Get inspired and follow their example: Move. Walk. – Don’t be a by-stander. Take a stand.