It’s Okay To Be Uncomfortable

In my many years of being both a student and an educator, I’ve learned the value of overcoming discomfort. Being uncomfortable isn’t always a bad thing, and sometimes it’s a sign that you’re challenging and expanding your worldview. 

When I was pursuing my master’s in higher education, one of my first assigned readings focused on how to engage students with social justice topics. This article talked about how students can shut down and push these conversations away because it makes them uncomfortable. It’s uncomfortable to learn about your privileges or lack thereof. It’s uncomfortable to talk about the darker parts of history and how racism has been present throughout most of it. And it’s uncomfortable to talk about the realities of racism that still exist to this day. Often, as soon as a student begins to feel that discomfort, they shut down and stop engaging with the topic completely. Whether it’s because you’re worried about saying the wrong thing or because everything you’ve known is being challenged, these feelings are normal and valid. However, just because it’s uncomfortable doesn’t mean you should avoid it. 

As a personal anecdote, I myself tend to be uncomfortable in religious settings because of negative experiences I’ve had in childhood and adolescence. In graduate school, I wanted to learn about supporting students of all backgrounds. Regardless of my personal experiences and biases, I wanted to become an educator capable of supporting all students, including those with identities and experiences different from my own. With this goal in mind, I interned at a religious organization on my campus for a full semester specifically because it made me uncomfortable to be in that space. There were many times I had to ask what I thought were “stupid questions” because I was in a completely new environment learning about an aspect of culture I had intentionally avoided most of my life. Sometimes, all I could do was just observe and learn from the people around me. 

This experience challenged me immensely, but it was also immensely rewarding. I overcame that discomfort and became a better educator because of it. And guess what? The things that made me uncomfortable going into that space were all in my head–everyone I interacted with was welcoming, kind, and happy to engage with someone who just wanted to learn. Since that experience, the discomfort I’ve felt most of my life hasn’t been as challenging as it once was. I know that I can overcome discomfort and can now encourage others to do the same. 

So many folks completely avoid engaging with anti-racism because they’re scared of being uncomfortable. Instead of shying away from it, I encourage folks to embrace being uncomfortable. It’s okay to be uncomfortable with these conversations, and I promise that you aren’t the only person feeling it. Don’t let those feelings stop you from learning new things or connecting with new people. The power to overcome them exists within all of us, and when you overcome boundaries and expand your worldview, this is when true education happens. You’re not just memorizing facts, you’re expanding your mindset and changing. If you do it just one time, it makes it 10 times easier to do it again. And it makes it easier to encourage your peers to do the same. 

I truly believe that if everyone overcame the barrier of discomfort and fully engaged with anti-racist education, we could create a racism-free world, just as ARCC envisions.