I just read an eerie thread of comments by women who had been verbally abused but did not realize the shaming, yelling, and insults were anything but normal — until they got out of the relationship and were in a healthy one. Only then did the women come to understand that they would not be berated for making a simple mistake or spilling something; that being out of milk was not cause for an uproar, or that civil disagreements were possible.
It’s a domestic example but reminded me again of the need for everyone to have an external context to truly understand the landscape under which they are living or working. We become so engaged in our own world that it seems perfectly natural to us but undoubtedly there are others living a different way. We gain understanding, empathy, and new ideas when we pull back the curtain. This can happen through travel, education, expanding your network, exposure to different people or fields, or in a host of other ways. But it’s not going to happen if we stay in our own bubble.
Think about the important things in your life — metrics at work, views you hold, traditions you cherish — and see if you can’t find an alternative way of looking at them. You may opt to keep your same behaviors, but having something to benchmark against gives you a much clearer perspective of your reality.
