Alternative to Comfort.

Someone posted on Facebook a while back a diagram, all black apart from a circle and a dot outside it. The circle was labelled ‘Comfort Zone’ and the dot, ‘Where life begins.’ Though it was appreciated for its subtle wisdom I wanted to draw a circle round the lot labelled, ‘Discomfort Zone’ with other dots in it labelled ‘broken leg, flue, sinking ship, arguments, broken glass etc.’ I understand the drift but it sat awkwardly with me. It’s true there’s a natural feeling of apprehension when approaching any new threshold of life and that can feel uncomfortable, and that avoiding invites will make life safe but boring, but is discomfort really the natural equivalent to growth? I would draw a different distinction, one between repetition and difference, that life begins in doing everything anew. Here the currency of comfort has no equivalence. Framing ‘where life begins’ in the context of comfort or discomfort places it in the territory of the self. It’s the self that feels apprehension in difference and comfort in the lack of it. Without the self ‘different’ is the preferred option under the natural outward tensions of exploration, love, curiosity, desire, joy and the inward tension of fear from sensed danger. For me this distinction is vital. Framing ‘new life beginning’ outside one’s ‘comfort zone’ suggests apprehension, difficulty, work and stress in going there, where as new life beginning in simple non-judgemental difference compared with reductive repartition feels exciting, life and energy giving. Who wouldn’t want to go there? So comfort? Bring it on, I’m all for it. It means I can go exploring and I love that.