I think of connectedness and connections—of how if we are to thrive inside an existing oppressive structure, we need systems of support. This need means moving away from the narratives that have been fed to us and narratives that feel safe because we recognize their boundaries.

For many of us, the idea of leaving behind the familiar landscape can be scary. If we are entrenched in our ways, adjustment is difficult and challenging. Challenging our own assumptions, questioning our biases, learning to look with a different set of eyes and changing the way we think about people is hard work. Indeed, it’s much easier to carry on down the familiar and beaten track rather than to launch out into the unknown.

On the beaten track, we know how to speak and how to walk and how to be. Walking the unknown means opening ourselves up again and making ourselves vulnerable to possible hurt and misunderstanding.