Stepping Forward into Growth, Not Backward into Safety

Just had a long conversation with a friend that helped me open my eyes up to my own flaws and the flaws of all of us as a community.

One thing I notice over and over is that we tend to gravitate towards and stay inside our comfort zones. Especially when it comes to choosing friends. There are way too many people who would rather stay with the friends they've been close to their whole lives than talk to someone new who might have new and different perspectives.

It's great to have lifelong friendships. But it's dangerous when you are friends with the same group of people who look and act exactly the same as you. It prevents you from having real conversations and facing facts that are necessary and crucial to your growth and being open minded.

I'm guilty of this myself. I tend to stay with the same friends that I've had for a while, but this year has taught me a lot. This year I have strayed completely out of my comfort zone and made friends with people who I never would've imagined making friends with last year. That is an experience everyone should have.

Staying in our own little friendship groups is also a bad idea because it makes new people who come to the community feel unwelcome and left out. I know for a fact that there are friends of mine who would rather hang out with their school friends than with friends in the Muslim community because we have made them feel unwelcome.

Snap out of it. Get out of your comfort zone. Talk to new people every day. I promise you that it will be rewarding.