As someone who has walked a very similar—and deeply healing/trauma informed—path over the last four years, and whose biggest concern is the division and polarization in our country, I want to gently offer a couple of thoughts:
We can build longer tables to bridge the gap AND call out injustices.
We can protect our peace AND use our voices.
We can be reflective, ask questions, AND still take a stance.
Opting out isn’t neutral—it’s a privilege that many people simply don’t have.
And candidly, this piece feels like it unintentionally centers your perspective above others (something you’re critiquing here), which can read as condescending. Something to reflect on with the same care you’re inviting from everyone else.
Thank you for sharing your perspective and reflections. To be clear, I write this as a WOC who is an immigrant in the U.S., from an immigrant family.
We can bridge the gap by bridging the gap within us. This is not just an external war — it’s stirring something within each of us, and that is worthy of our attention.
This isn’t “opting out.” This is opting INWARDS. This is an honoring of our true capacity and voice.
Having a voice doesn’t necessarily mean that you use it online, yet that’s what happens when life seems to center around the online space.
Life is what happens behind our screens. There’s so much nuance within each of the events unfolding in our world — nuance that cannot be overlooked. And that takes time to unpack.
So yes, while we can acknowledge the chaos in our world, we can also acknowledge our own humility of knowing our capacity, and recognizing that things aren’t always as black and white as they seem.
As someone who has walked a very similar—and deeply healing/trauma informed—path over the last four years, and whose biggest concern is the division and polarization in our country, I want to gently offer a couple of thoughts:
We can build longer tables to bridge the gap AND call out injustices.
We can protect our peace AND use our voices.
We can be reflective, ask questions, AND still take a stance.
Opting out isn’t neutral—it’s a privilege that many people simply don’t have.
And candidly, this piece feels like it unintentionally centers your perspective above others (something you’re critiquing here), which can read as condescending. Something to reflect on with the same care you’re inviting from everyone else.
Thank you for sharing your perspective and reflections. To be clear, I write this as a WOC who is an immigrant in the U.S., from an immigrant family.
We can bridge the gap by bridging the gap within us. This is not just an external war — it’s stirring something within each of us, and that is worthy of our attention.
This isn’t “opting out.” This is opting INWARDS. This is an honoring of our true capacity and voice.
Having a voice doesn’t necessarily mean that you use it online, yet that’s what happens when life seems to center around the online space.
Life is what happens behind our screens. There’s so much nuance within each of the events unfolding in our world — nuance that cannot be overlooked. And that takes time to unpack.
So yes, while we can acknowledge the chaos in our world, we can also acknowledge our own humility of knowing our capacity, and recognizing that things aren’t always as black and white as they seem.