you have ever felt afraid to speak up for fear of being judged or labelled.

you have ever wondered where you fit in and who you fit in with.

You don’t have what it takes to survive the wilderness.’ This is when you reach deep into your wild heart and remind yourself, ‘I am the wilderness.’” Someone, somewhere, will say, ‘Don’t do it. “There will be times when standing alone feels too hard, too scary, and we’ll doubt our ability to make our way through the uncertainty. So I have the following words hand-written on the first page of my journal! Our choices do not have to keep us apart, as long as we chose to focus on what we have in common there is more that unites us than divides us.Īlthough I am accustomed to being on the wilderness path, it never really gets easy. It becomes easier when I think that each of us is on a different journey and at a different stage of this journey. That requires a different posture of empathy that I have to practice every single day. I am committed to them and I choose to be part of their life without being critical. I also realized that as I go through my own wilderness journey I deeply affect those in my life. There is no winner, whether we choose to fit in or not each of us has to figure out which choice we are comfortable with. I understand that their journey is as hard as my own, if not harder. I am now able to empathize with them, as they are making the choice to protect themselves from conflict, and vulnerability by staying quiet.

I developed deeper insights about what may be holding them back from developing the courage to stand alone. Her research and own story, not only guided me to reflect on what I stand for, but also helped me view myself through the eyes of those who are anything like me those who choose to fit in and not speak-up. It was this quote that attracted me to the book “Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone” by Dr. This quote resonates with me deeply every time I read it it reminds me of all the challenges I have encountered over the years in my relationships with family, friends, and colleagues, who do not share my socioeconomic, political, and all other views. “You are only free when you realize you belong no place - you belong every place - no place at all.

DNA Nation by Sergio Pistoi