Story of lived experiences...

I have been fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 50 countries in my 40 years of existence. What this has meant is experiencing different ways of being, living, expressing, and existing. It has been the single most effective educational tool in my toolbox to address ignorance, bias, and prejudice. 

This past week I was at a gathering of like-minded individuals to talk about systems change. From the get-go, I felt negative energy in the air. There was othering behaviour that I encountered daily. One of things that made it really difficult for me was acknowledgement from some individuals that their lived experiences were very different from mine and they had never heard things I had said so they couldn't relate to it and contributed to my trauma by actively creating an othering environment. This hit me like a rock. I couldn't believe that in this day and age, people could create difficult environments for others just because of different experiences, voices, and thoughts!  

It only reinforced to me the need for Women In Power and made me realize the importance of sharing lived experiences with each other. Because guess what happens when you don't share? You create an othering environment that makes it difficult for people to show up in their full capacity. You become the reason for their trauma. 

So, I request you, share your lived experiences! Seek others' lived experiences. Address your ignorance, bias, ego, insecurities, and difference of opinions. If you can't wrap your head around someone else's lived experiences or ideas, try and learn more. If you can't do that, at least don't actively create an othering environment. Don't display aggression/micro-aggression. Sit in the messiness and do your own work. 

From my experience, I say seek to remove bias, seek to address your prejudice, seek to tame your ego, seek to be an ally, seek to understand...