Behind the Veil

Have you ever felt like you are different or that other people have judged you unfairly?
Have you ever felt like all you wanted was to be understood and to be accepted for who you are?

We all have skeletons and things that we don’t share with people because we are afraid of being judged. Sometimes those things are choices we made in the past that we are not proud of and sometimes they are things that happened that were beyond our control. Whatever it is, if it makes you feel like you are different, it has potential to cause you to feel ashamed, alienated and alone.

Human beings like to share things in common with other human beings. It is why people with motorcycles and jeeps wave at each other, and why people who love body art are interested in each other’s tattoos. It is why we have groups – thousands of them, in fact – for interests and activities, such as investing or hiking, and groups for social and global issues, such as environmentalism and child protection. As human beings, we advocate and speak out in response to the issues and plights we feel on individual, social, and cultural levels. Groups of all kinds are formed to address injustices, to break free of oppression, to confront the fear of being shamed. Whether it is an official group or an unofficial ‘community’, it creates a space to just be who you are, to be heard, to be seen, to be understood, without judgement. Where you may have felt like you were the only one, it gives you a place to create connections with other people that are mutually supportive.
This is one thing that connects Lean On Me to every other group. It is a space for people, who at one point felt isolated and alone in a situation and a system that keeps them hidden, to connect with others who can empathize, understand, and support them. It has met a huge need in our community and has filled a gap that was missing. It is the first group of its kind in Ontario and it is continuing to transform something so negative into something positive for not only the people who are impacted by homicide but for our entire community.

For the rest of our community who have never experienced homicide directly, the thoughts, feelings and reactions to reading about it or hearing about it are similar:
“It is scary to think that it is a reality and that it happens every day.”
“It is scary that humans are capable of doing that. It is scary that people are resorting to it, that they have lost control of their emotions somehow, and that they came to that brink.”
“It is scary to think that we are not protected the way we should be and that society is not protected.”