Did you know that cats exclusively meow to communicate and converse with humans?

They have tiny mews as kittens but, independent of humans, in the wild, adult cats have no meow. They may roar in anger, scream in pain, or chitter to themself in glee at prey, but they don’t speak to one another. In essence, they have no voice.

We talk to them, and they talk to us. They mimic our ability to use our voice, and because we don’t use scent or body language to the same extent, they find their voices. And that ability we have, to speak, and to speak up is so wonderful.

We can voice our thoughts, share our dreams, teach others from our own experiences.

We can also use our words against others, to hurt and bully, mock and scare. These traits are not uniquely human, but the words we use are.

The power of words, voices, is so immense.

So please let’s use them to empower, to encourage and praise. Use our voices for good, ensure the voices we leave in other people’s heads aren’t cutting them down or criticising.

Of course we should also use our voices to ask for help. To admit our mistakes. And listen to the voices of others, not just the words; let’s pay more attention to the tone, the body language and the words unspoken.

No-one should be afraid to speak up.

Everyone’s voice is important.