So much in our current culture is designed to keep us safe. Safe from physical danger, safe from being offended, safe from those who disagree with us, generally safe from anything that doesn't keep us happy. We go to a great deal of effort to stay in our comfort zone, and more an more we're seeing designated safe spaces. We can curate our lives, our friends, our social media so that we are protected from anything that might anger or offend. Basically we want to eliminate anything that might create pain, fear, or discomfort in our lives. The problem with this is that very often, really almost always, the only way that we can grow or improve is to leave our comfort zone, push through the pain and discomfort, until we get through those things and are able to grow. In most basic terms, when we exercise, we need to work our muscles until they break down, because that's how we get stronger. In business, we frequently have to do things that make us uncomfortable in order to grow our businesses. Heck even Jesus taught us that we need to go through trials, hardships, persecution and the like in order to follow Him. There's an old saying that conveys this same sentiment, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.".
Unfortunately what happens all too often is that our comfort zone, or safe space starts out as a sanctuary and ends up as a prison. I suspect that those who choose to stay in their comfort zone,
2 comments:
Many do indeed prefer to live within their comfort zone. "Safe spaces" are designed to maintain that sense of comfort by denying any who might disturb that sense of comfort...to carry on doing what is clearly immoral or disgusting.
Art,
While some might use their safe spaces for those purposes, I really think that it's much more broadly applicable than that.
In my current world, there are certain activities that will greatly enhance one's chance of success. Yet most of those activities require stepping out of your comfort zone, embracing doing uncomfortable things, and self discipline to keep going when things get difficult. Or, as I pointed out, exercise requires getting out of one's comfort zone.
What really struck me as I sat in the training about this, was the reality that it is very easy (in fact almost a guarantee) that one's comfort zone will eventually become a prison which prevents one from any meaningful growth.
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