Out of My Comfort Zone | A night of Compassion #PrideMonth

By Towerah

I got out of my comfort zone today, and I met different people from different communities, backgrounds and beliefs.

One thing I have noted is that everyone just wants to be loved.

Everyone wants to feel a sense of belonging, but we all are picky.

We are all avoiding each other, ignoring each other just to feel that we are important, or more relevant than others.

Why is it so hard to accept people for who they are, what they are, and how they are?

The mind is a great thing. It makes us question other people’s values, but also teaches us ignore them.

In your first term of school, when you were a new comer, you felt alone. You made friends, while trying to fit in a world that was different from where you came from.

How do you fit in a world that’s you don’t fully understand?

Do you just change yourself to fit in that world, or you adapt and become a better version of yourself so this new world will change and be like you in your world?

We often forget that people; friends or not, have to accept us for who we are. Many people hide themselves when they meet new people just to satisfy the people’s needs. They later get caught up in a world of lies, and continued self-torture just to please a small grouping.

Like I said I met a new crowd, recently.

I won’t say much about them but rather about me, my reaction, and well, everything else.

It was a normal Saturday by my standard. I was home.

I told myself that I wasn’t going anywhere because I had made plans for Sunday. I wanted to be fully prepared for the next day’s activities.

I was in bed, on my phone texting and watching movies. My phone rang, and I felt irritated since I don’t usually get to rest on Saturdays. I picked the call, and the caller asked if I was busy.

I told her I was not, and she asked me to go to an event in her place. I was hesitant at first, but I accepted the invite.

I quickly jumped out out of my bed and showered. I got dressed, andleft for the event.

Now mind you, it was my first time going to an event like this. The minute I walked in, I felt so out of place, and for a minute I regretted my decision to come.

People said hie to me. I did as well, but I knew nobody, so I did what I know best – sat down, put my headsets in my ears, and played with my phone. That is my comfort zone, and I find it very comforting. It’s a place I don’t often leave, you know.

About 30 minutes down the line, they started calling our names, asking us to get ready as the show was about to start.

Given I was a judge, I had to be in the zone. I was freaking out.

What if I said the wrong thing?

What if my look came off as judgemental?

I felt trapped in my own body, in my own mind.

I didn’t know if saying anything would cause trouble, or be for good. I couldn’t even say hie, scared of offending someone.

Someone greeted me, and I felt at ease again. I met my fellow judges, and that was a start to an amazing afternoon.

I met beautiful souls that don’t only feel trapped, but also can’t express their pain or happiness – as the world will judge them for who they truly are.

In this world we live in, everyone is trying so hard to be something they are not. Maybe it’s not that bad, but what is so wrong about someone being who they feel they really are?

I felt out of place for just a few minutes, and I imagined feeling unwanted, trapped and not needed every single day – by your family, friends even your work place saying no; just because you chose to live a certain way.

You chose to put you ahead of anyone else, and the world said no.

“We don’t want you to be that way, but this way. If you say no you we will hate you.”

This world is tricky.

Being free to be you means accepting yourself for who you are, but the minute you do that, the world says no, we would like you to embrace this version of yourself. If you don’t, we would rather not have you in this world.

Are we really free to be the best version of our truest selves?

Are we all playing dress-up, and catch-up, in a world we will never please?