Kelly Wassenberg of Wells is the Tribune’s news clerk.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Those words were spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a man who will forever be remembered for lending a voice to the civil rights movement. His words were not always well received, yet his influence has changed our world for the better.

Not everyone will be remembered in the history books, but I do feel his message should resonate with us all. Regardless of the issue, it takes great bravery for someone to publicly speak up for something they believe in. One can face ridicule and judgment for their words, yet there are undoubtedly times where the cost of silence is far greater.

In 1961, psychologist Stanley Milgram analyzed why people don’t speak up even when asked to do things against their better judgment. He specifically wanted to know how the Holocaust could happen. Why did people comply with Hitler’s orders instead of revolting?

The experiment had one person assigned to the role of teacher and another assigned to the role of a learner. Those assigned to the role of teacher were volunteers who had no idea that the learners were actually actors. The teachers were then directed to provide electric shocks to the learner as a consequence for wrong answers and were told to increase the shocks to higher levels as the experiment progressed. The learner/actor would respond as if they were being shocked even to the level of begging for it to stop. While some refused to continue, over two-thirds followed through with the experiment.

In Milgram’s summary of his results,  he said that ordinary people can become agents in a terrible destructive process even when the negative effects of their actions become clear and they are asked to do things against their morality.

In modified trials of the experiment, Milgram reported that while peers were effective at influencing such behavior, those in a position of authority were more effective at eliciting compliance from volunteers. In situations where volunteers were not monitored, they frequently disobeyed the rules of the experiment by showing mercy on the learner.

The findings of his study are still applicable today, and I think we as a society need to take notice. Authority is all around us. Everyone has a higher power overseeing their actions, and I’m not speaking in a Biblical sense.

Parents, teachers, bosses, police officers, clergyman, city council members, those we admire and trust. When we value the opinion of another person, when we need their approval, we tend to give up power to them. We try to be home by curfew or to work on time if we don’t have a good excuse in the wings. We abide by the law or at least hope we don’t get caught pushing it by driving 62 in a 55 mph zone. We don’t talk back.

Respecting those in authority is a part of life, but it’s a double-edged sword. While we teach children to listen to adults and remind them to consider what others would think, we sometimes forget to teach them there are exceptions to every rule. We teach them the harm their words can do, yet sometimes forget to teach them that silence can be just as hurtful.

The long-term effects of the Milgram experiment were deemed detrimental to the volunteers who participated. Rules on how psychological experiments are conducted have since been created to address concerns this experiment brought to light, yet society needs to address them too.

A person’s voice should not be synonymous with shame. A victim of domestic violence should be able to ask for help without fear of judgment. Someone who is suicidal should be silenced by the fear of being stigmatized. If someone sees a need for change, they shouldn’t have to worry about the waves they create. They should be taught that sometimes authority/societal norms need to be questioned or at times challenged. And while we’ll never have a society full of people who are unafraid to raise their voice, we should have a society of people who are not afraid to stand beside those who speak up.

It only takes one voice to start an avalanche. One voice can create change.