by Janet Lovera, ’23

Grappling with existential questions is hard, and it can seem even more intimidating in a room full of 20 other students. What do you say? How do you say it? Should you say anything at all?

The answer becomes clear when you step into an environment encouraging unique perspectives. You share your truths and respect the truths of others. You listen with your heart and learn from the viewpoints everyone brings.
This was the place I found at Brave Dialogues: Interfaith Edition amongst a group of students, all from various religious backgrounds, sharing their thoughts as I learned more about my own.

The beauty of events like Brave Dialogues is they become a safe space for you to grow and even find your own voice, without any pressure to do so. We didn’t all agree as we discussed and reflected on life’s biggest questions. But it was okay because we didn’t need to, this was about more than that. This was about our humanity and how our different perspectives bring us closer together, not farther apart.

We didn’t leave knowing all the answers, no not even close, but we left with something even more important. Understanding that our own perspectives make us human, we’re not so different after all, and that’s the beauty of life.