I have been given some pretty good advice over the years from family and friends that have shaped who I am as a person. But the best piece of advice that I hold dear to me came from someone I have never met formally; I only seen her once in my life, and I do not even know her name. Although I do not know her, she said some words of wisdom I will forever keep with me.
To give background, I was recently accepted into the Board of Multicultural Student Affairs (or BMSA for short), a student club/organization at Providence College whose goal is to promote cultural awareness and education on campus. At the last meeting of the year/first meeting for next year, the graduating seniors gave a few final words to the people they have been with for years and a few words to the incoming members. One of the last people to stand up, a girl sitting right in front of me, turned to the group and said, "To the new members, go into situations that make you uncomfortable. You will learn so much more if you are willing to go into the unknown." With that, the seniors left the room.
That secondary encounter gave me the best words to live by. Why, you ask, are these words ones I live by? I grew up in a suburban town in Rhode Island, where the diversity of cultures ranges from white Catholic to white Christian. When I got to college, my eyes were opened to the different people who live in just the small radius of PC alone. As I have progressed through my college years, I have learned more about different cultures and different characteristics people have. How these words of wisdom relate? By educating oneself about different things, we further ourselves as people.
But how does the word "uncomfortable" relate to learning about others? As humans we like to stay in our own bubbles, with similar people with similar ideas. To truly further ourselves as people, we must learn about ideas that are not in that bubble because we gain understanding of others. We begin to feel empathy for other people in situations they go through that we will never go through. We learn by discussing these ideas with individuals who know these ideas and are willing to explain these ideas to us.
I have been uncomfortable many a times in numerous conversations, but in the end I come out understanding that person's point-of-view. The best thing is that I'm not done being uncomfortable in discussions because there are always new opinions I am willing to listen to. So, in the end, being uncomfortable in a situation is not a bad thing because you are willing to learn something in order to make it known and in your comfort zone. Broaden your horizons, for we are people of unlimited potential and understanding.
