I have been thinking hard this week and trying to craft my words carefully. After a few days of contemplation, I realized that honing my words in the most inoffensive way was counterproductive to my objective.

Your comfort doesn’t matter. And it shouldn’t.

Earlier this week I saw a news article that many of you probably skimmed by in your newsfeed. A school in Mississippi decided to remove "To Kill a Mockingbird" from their curriculum. This same thing has happened across the country for years.

“It makes people uncomfortable”

This reminded me of a lovely time in 5^th grade, when our school nurse rolled her presentation board into homeroom and handed out diagrams of male and female reproduction systems. Normal, natural things that everyone should learn. However, there were people who were allowed to go to the hall and skip out of the class. Why did their parents sign exemption notes?

“It makes people uncomfortable”

Let’s fast forward a few years, to 8th-grade history class. We were learning about the Holocaust, reading and watching disturbing footage of real-life events. We cried, we learned, we hated the dark side of humanity. In the end, I think we were better, more rounded people. But, there were three or four people who would only join us in the last few minutes of class, excused by the all-powerful signed note. And why were excuses even accepted in place of education of real historical events?

“It makes people uncomfortable”

We live in a world that is sensitive to everything. Everything, especially in the past few years come with ‘Trigger Warnings’ and chances for exemption. We don’t talk about things because they make people uncomfortable because people are offended. But at what point is that discomfort the point?

Of course, there are things that need to change. But for these things to change, there is one thing that you need to realize:

Your comfort doesn’t matter.

Your comfort, your mom’s comfort, your children’s comfort, should never come before equality. It should never come before progression. It should never come before education. Comfort doesn't take precedence over truth.

A world that cares more about the comfort of the individual than the issues of society is an ignorant one. So, instead of avoiding uncomfortable topics, we should face them. We need to talk about things that make us uncomfortable because that usually means that they matter. I’m not talking about yelling and breaking things, rioting and throwing a fit. Come on, people. Grow up.

As individuals, we need to come together as a society and talk open-mindedly about our issues. It’s a long shot, but that’s it. I hope this made you uncomfortable.

This post is taken from my personal blog at: http://www.gonechasingthesun.com/