I would wager that just about all of us, at one point or another, have experienced a situation we have been left out from. Whether it be a conversation, an event, an activity or something else, feeling left out, and further acknowledging when we have been left out from something is a shitty comprehension, and I don’t think anyone sane would say they’re a fan of being excluded.
I always try to ensure anyone I am in the presence of feels included. Perhaps the reason I have made an effort to include everyone for as long as I have is a result of my own experiences with feeling excluded, but in a way, I am grateful for the times I was left out of something because it enabled me to recognize how tremendously it sucks. Therefore, I don’t really want anyone else to have to endure it.
I don’t think most of us deliberately exclude others from certain things. Oftentimes, we get preoccupied with a topic of conversation, and because we are able to relate to the topic, we may not consider if anyone else present cannot comment on the topic. But whether exclusion is intentional or unintentional, its effects remain the same; it leaves someone feeling like a sack of dog shit, and it isn’t fun.
Being more inclusive of others is something I would recommend to anyone. It truly can make a world of difference for someone when we identify that they’re feeling left out of something because that something is irrelevant to them, and simply changing the activity or the dialogue can allow that someone to feel included once more. I consider it to be a small act of kindness in a way, and it is one all of us could benefit from, either at the receiving or the giving end.
ontheedgeofeverything 