My sophomore year in college I took a class on Feminist Philosophy. I walked in the room and saw a male professor.
He said, "My name's Professor So-and-so, and I'm a feminist."
I don't remember another word he said, or anything we studied. I was too blown away, and secretly impressed, that a man could declare unapologetically to be a feminist.
You mean men can advocate for women? Never thought of that before.
The following summer I nervously told my best friend my dad was gay, worried she would reject me.
She said, "Big fucking deal!"
You mean a straight dude can support gay people? Never thought of that before.
A few years later I had an intellectually stimulating conversation with a Black man about the book Invisible Man on a bus in San Francisco.
You mean a Black man and a White man can have common interests, experiences, perspectives, and opinions. Never thought of that before.
With each of these experiences, I was given a choice: dismiss the epiphanies and continue with the old narrow ways of thinking, acting, and being.
Or, recognize them as the opportunities they were to explore and expand and dive into the exciting unknown world of growth and evolution of consciousness.
We all have these opportunities almost daily. The question is: do we take them?