Living in My World

Author: Leah Szymanski

The other day, I found a blog entry my mother wrote in 2010. It’s titled “In Her World”, and it recounts a brief conversation between us. I had no idea that this exchange would take on a new meaning for me 16 years down the road.

In Her World

Sunday, October 31, 2010

She has her own world. I’ve suspected it for some time, and today she verbally confirmed.

Recently, we've had lots of discussions regarding things her two-year-old sister doesn’t understand simply because of her age. And I’ve had to do a lot of explaining about how to effectively deal with frustrating and annoying two-year-old behaviors.

Leah’s tired of hearing it. So today when I said, “Leah, Meg doesn’t understand that.” Leah’s brazen response to me was, “Well, in my world, mostly everyone understands mostly everything.”

End of conversation.

How do I get admitted to that world? I want to sign up for sure.

I can agree with my mom here; it would be awesome if we could be admitted to that world! I love my mom for letting me live in the ignorant bliss of “my world” for as long as I did, and I love her for writing this post which I think stands as a great analogy for lifelong learning.

Among eight year olds, this type of thinking isn’t unusual, but re-reading it made me start to wonder how often our thought processes are influenced by limited understanding. How often do we stop to challenge what we think we know? And how often do we seek out experiences that can change our perspective?

What was immediately striking to me about this post is the irony of the situation. I was judging my sister’s limited understanding without pausing to reflect on my own. In the process I rejected the idea that I was capable of learning more, crowning myself as the pinnacle of all-knowing-ness – the category of “mostly everything”.

Looking back now, it’s clear to me that my beliefs and base of knowledge were so narrow because they had yet to be tested. I was comfortable and content with my life as it was, so I resisted anything that could throw that off balance. Resistance to change does more than keep us narrow-minded - it strains our compassion, understanding, and relationships with others.

“My world” has changed in the past decade and a half, and it means something different to me now than it once did. Instead of being a space where I’m surrounded by people who live and think like I do, it has become an autobiography shaped by the people and experiences that challenge my understanding.

This is why education is so important to me. What I love about Youthlinc’s

mission is their commitment to learning, and how they support students through local and international service. I have experienced firsthand how unity increases when we treat encounters with unfamiliarity as an opportunity for growth - something I see continually reflected in Youthlinc’s spaces.

At the beginning of each Youthlinc service year, many leadership teams will discuss purpose and personal values. We choose from a list of over 50 values (e.g., adaptability, teamwork, service etc.) and highlight our top two. I almost always pick curiosity as one of my two. Humanity is a curious species, and we are capable of incredible growth when we ask questions. Curiosity is like a door into the unknown, and the unknown is where our worldviews expand.

If there’s one thing I can take away from my Youthlinc experience so far, it’s that embracing our natural curiosity is the antidote to resistance. The more we observe without judgement and seek to understand the experiences of others, the more complete our world becomes.

I try to carry this thought process into my life through regular self-reflection and remaining open to beliefs different from my own. One question I keep returning to is this: What is my purpose on this Youthlinc team and how will this experience make a difference in the world?

The answer I keep coming back to is rooted in curiosity. I’m still learning about who I am, but I know that I am a lifelong learner. As long as that mindset stays with me I will continue to grow. I will continue to be curious. I will affect the lives of family, friends, and strangers. And most importantly, I will view life through a new lens - the evolving lens of my world.