You know what I absolutely cannot stand?
Concealment.
The act of depriving or withholding relevant information from others.
It’s the lie that no one wants to talk about.
When someone conceals, there is an incongruence in the environment.
Noticing incongruence is my superpower. It was a survival skill for me as a kid to survive an alcoholic family system. This skill has also intuitively supported me as a therapist.
When incongruencies are not named, and information is concealed, we deprive people of choice.
Depriving people of choice is also how oppression functions.
Oppression takes from people. It restricts people. It inhibits people.
And so often it is denied or made subtle by those in power which hurts the oppressed even more. It holds us back from being equipped with the proper tools to manage ourselves and our environment.
Take a look at classism.
Classism oppresses people of lower social and economic standing. Classism looks like a lack of access to basic needs, education, resources, and opportunities.
When you experience classism, you are deprived of choice. With restricted access to particular knowledge and opportunities, you are left with limited autonomy. You have less control over your environment. Over your reality.
Consider yourself privileged if you’ve been able to receive an education around finances.
In the US for example, you are lucky if you learn how to build credit, how to add to your savings, how to contribute to a retirement fund. This is information that many people of lower economic class often don’t have access to. This lack of knowledge deprives people from opportunities.
It’s time to make what has been concealed explicit. To shine light on what’s been hidden.
Knowledge is wealth and it should not be gatekept by the privileged.
We all deserve access to information and resources that best allow us to survive no matter race, age, gender, class, or nationality.
Let’s invite everyone into the conversation. If you have information and resources, share them. There is no need to conceal. No need to lie. Here’s to an equitable future.
XX
Nora