Standing alone for what’s right feels lonely for a minute and clean for years.

The hard part of speaking up is nearly always the first thirty seconds, when the room has gone quiet and nobody has backed you yet. That stretch is short, even though it does not feel short. What follows lasts much longer, because you get to be someone who did not go along with it, and you never have to carry the memory of standing there silent.

No speech is required. Saying you are not comfortable with this, or simply not joining in, usually breaks the spell. Someone else in that room is waiting for a first move.