I am so afraid to speak publicly about how far I have come away from the traditional, religious, conservative upbringing I had. I am more than proud of who I’ve become, but in my empathy and kindness, I resist speaking about it in the fear that I will hurt those who raised me with the values that I no longer follow. I always say that when children are raised, they either follow the blueprint they are given, or do exactly the opposite. I did the opposite, and I don’t think it started out as rebellion. The mold that was created for me didn’t fit. I truly believe that goodness was the intent, but on the way it just became judgmental and unkind. I led a life with such care for others, that I was repelled by anything that promoted racism, sexism, or classism… among many other isms. I had to learn to listen to myself and trust my instincts because I was so far removed from the beliefs of those surrounding me that I didn’t have much to go by. It took a long time to get there. Once I started to recognize what is meant for me, I began to find my tribe. Empowered women, meditators, people who like to talk about nature and the cosmos… people like me. Now, when challenged by the people that see their way as the “right way” and mine as the “wrong”, I can confidently move on to other subjects without questioning whether or not I’m doing the right thing. I try not to see these people as bad people, but just people who don’t know the right way to be good. I hope that I can show the world with my actions that kindness is not hard. I hope to be more public about this, I feel like it could help so many people who feel so alone in their world. I am so grateful for sayitforward.org for giving me the opportunity to break the ice. Thank you!
Breaking the Mold
