(Flower climbing up the side of my father-in-law’s house)

Every so often, I read a blog post or article written by someone with drastically different beliefs than mine. There are so many people in the world with struggles entirely other from the things I’ve dealt with. As a white, heterosexual, American female, raised middle class, there are a plethora of experiences I have not had.

There are many passionate writers who have spoken about racial issues, homosexuality and transgender experiences, parenting (I’m not a parent, so it counts as different), and substance abuse.
These things are real, and if we don’t experience them ourselves we tend to have less compassion for them.

I’ve read some hateful, offensive things. There are people in the world who hate whites, hate women’s rights, hate Americans. I think it’s healthy to be reminded of that – especially when you have a chance to listen and find out why.

Some reasoning seems completely illogical and unfounded. I’ve read more than one post that left me angry at their small-mindedness. However, I’ve also read some that were enlightening. I’ve learned a lot about the way I am – the subculture of middle class, heterosexual, white, American women – from reading posts written by people exempted from those classifications.

Humanity is made up of many different perspectives, cultures, ideas, and experiences. It’s never a bad thing to acquaint yourself with someone who is opposite you in one way or another.

Exposure can create understanding, compassion, and healing – if we let it.