This post isn't necessarily about myself but more about a friend that I
had grown up with. I grew up in a very conservative part of Texas,
and to say the least it was a great experience for myself being in a
smaller town. However, one of my closest friends growing up always
felt left out for being "different" this is due to the environmental
expectations and social biases. My friend was gay and it was a hard
reality, especially since he didn't have anybody to relate to in our
town. In the dimension of wellness for social it talks about
developing a sense of connection and belonging. Unfortunately he
couldn't find that in our community. Environmentally it was also not
sustainable for his well-being either as he felt that most of the
citizens just wouldn't accept him for who he was due to their beliefs
and biases. He ended up leaving all together when he was 17, he did
this to find his own path and find wellness for his own well being.
When I moved to Los Angeles we rekindled our friendship and one
can immediately tell that he is absolutely the happiest that he could
be. He can finally be himself and feel accepted in a community.
I took away from what he did that sometimes finding your own path
to wellness can be through massive changes in an individuals life.
Also, willing to take a chance to find the wellness and happiness in
your life is always worth a shot as it can turn out to be the best
decision one could make. Having a better understanding of bias
influence is important, thinking about this experience from a third-
party point of view it is important that a bias that you might hold
shouldn't be forced upon others. Having an open dialogue is always
the better option as individuals can learn from each other to better
themselves. This will ultimately cause for a greater sense of wellness
as people use bias less and an education mindset first.
