The It Gets Better project is one of the more awesome things the Internet has come up with in recent years.
THE PLEDGE: Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I’ll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I’ll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other bullied teens by letting them know that “It Gets Better.”
At least part of that effect, though, is because we become able to move. We can leave the situation. The more mobile your life is, the more broad (and in demand) your skill-set is, the easier it is to just leave the haters to hate.
It’s hard enough getting your mind emotionally around the idea of leaving, especially when the situation has slowly become toxic. But sometimes it has to happen, just so that things have a chance to become better. The emotional and psychological parts of that are hard enough. There’s no reason to make it hard physically and financially.
Keep this in mind as you plan your future. Your roots can be a great, stabilizing thing. They can also keep you from taking shelter when the storm erodes the dirt out from underneath you.
It’s a great and noble thing to change the world.
It’s not so great to break while you’re trying to change it.