Speech is a moral act.

Everyone’s abuzz about free speech these days.

The fire was reignited recently when Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging app Telegram, was arrested in Paris. Often called the "Mark Zuckerberg of Russia," Durov built a platform celebrated by people living under oppressive regimes because it allows for free communication without government surveillance. Of course, such freedom also attracts dark forces… and that’s where the controversy begins.

French authorities hauled Durov in because Telegram isn’t cracking down on crimes like human trafficking and fraud that use the app as a base. They accuse him of letting bad actors run unchecked, while Durov maintains that he is simply providing a platform for free speech. His supporters argue he’s guilty of nothing more than upholding a principle as scarce as a true free-range chicken these days.

The arrest sent shockwaves through the tech world. Executives who had built empires on user-generated content thought they were immune from accountability for their users' actions.

Then Monday arrived, and the "real" Mark Zuckerberg wrote to Congress, accusing the Biden administration of "repeatedly pressuring" Meta to censor certain COVID-related content. The White House countered, saying it was merely trying to protect public health and safety.

But this raises a difficult question: Where is the line between protection and silencing dissent? These are complex issues without easy answers. Governments have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their citizens, and their actions may be justified in certain circumstances. Yet there’s a deeper truth at play—one that transcends the legal or political….

That is: Not everything that is legal is necessarily good. As individuals, we must prioritize our principles over the convenience of legality. Free speech is an opportunity to reflect on how we are stewarding our words and influence… especially in an era where hurtful, misaligned, and even false words are quick and easy to fly in the virtually anonymous atmosphere of social media.

Are we using our speech to cultivate a more just and free society, or are we allowing our words to be confined and shaped by convenience and self-interest? Do we use words to build others up or do we use them to break them down (fantasizing that we are thus somehow taller because we knocked them down).

Both the millennial teachings of the East and West caution us to use speech with mindfulness and responsibility. Buddhist Right Speech (Samma Vaca), for example, calls us to speak truthfully, kindly, and with a view toward harmony and benefit. The Buddha taught that words should not cause harm, be false, or stir conflict.

Similarly, Vedantic teachings emphasize the principles of Satya (truthfulness) and Ahimsa (non-violence), reminding us that while speech may be free, it must be used in service of peace and truth.

Even the Apostle Paul himself understood this. He noted that not everything "permissible" is "beneficial" (1 Corinthians 6:12), and that our goal should always be to build others up through our words (Ephesians 4:29). In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we find similar guidance: speech is a moral act, and every word should reflect the dignity of the person and the responsibility toward the common good (CCC 2475-2487).

We live in an age where free speech is often celebrated as a fundamental right, but we must never forget that with this right comes an even greater responsibility - the awareness and respect of the fact that words can heal or harm, liberate or enslave, build bridges or erect walls. As Paul reminded the early Christian communities, and as we see echoed across ALL traditions, speech is not simply a matter of freedom—it's about how we use words and ideas to promote truth, kindness, and harmony.

While the courts across the globe debate the boundaries of free speech, it is our duty as individuals, as members of the human community, to focus on how we use our words. Let’s all commit to ensuring our words help build a world evermore full of kindness, truth, and compassion. Speech is, indeed, a moral act.