What were the hardest lessons you've had to learn in life?

One of the hardest lessons life has taught me is that my way of seeing the world was never the world itself. it was only the small corner of it I grew up in.

I was raised in a very safe city in Canada by good parents who sheltered me, surrounded by friends whose lives looked just like mine. We though alike and had similar upbringings and I mistook that for the truth. I thought everyone was raised that way.

It wasn't until I was an adult, when I began meeting people shaped by very different lives, and especially after I got married, that I started to understand how narrow my view had been. That was the shock; discovering that trust is not a given, that goodness is not universal, and that some people will lead you into danger without a second thought. Growing up safe taught me to expect safety everywhere. Life taught me that safety is a privilege, not a promise.