Hello and welcome.

How about a little wordsmithing to get us through the end of the month?

I thought I'd look at two common phrases that can either invite or exclude us in a conversation, and how we can respond to them. The phrases are ones we've all heard before and no doubt said ourselves:

One is "Say your piece." And the other is "Hold your peace."

Sound familiar? Let's take them one at a time.

When we are invited to say our piece, we've been given an opening to offer our take on a situation, moment, or person. It's a chance to say and share our truth as we see it; to give our opinion; to contribute another angle to the conversation.  It's up to us to assess whether it's the right moment; it's needed or even wanted.

When we're told to hold our peace, it's more of a shutdown—a reminder not to upset the situation or the people involved in it.  We have less leeway and it's a road sign that should we press on, it might not be well received and could definitely change the mood of the moment.

In either case, can you parse the difference between "Piece and / or Peace"  (2:17)?