I feel that particularly in current times, but in other times as well, general assumptions can be made about the struggles we face. A saying that I have grown to dislike is “we are all in the same boat” because it is simply not true. It can actually be unhelpful too because it doesn’t recognise people as individuals with unique minds. I do agree however that we need to be careful how we share our stories sensitively with regards to what is going on around us but that shouldn’t mean that personal struggles within a wider issue should be put off from being said.

 I’m aware that there is a counter phrase to this going around along the lines of “we’re not all in the same boat, but in the same storm.” I would like to offer another way of putting this, “we’re all in the same boatyard.” In other words, we can all be in the same place, experiencing the same national and international events. However, we are all on our own “boats” experiencing our unique conditions, for example, spending time with different people on our boat and seeing a different view from those next to us.

One way that saying “we are all in the same boat” can be accurate however, is when you are invited into someone else’s ‘boat’ and see what their view point is like.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you find it helpful. As you know, if you have any questions/feedback/comments, feel free to get in touch, I always love to hear it. My schedule may be changing a bit soon but hoping to do some more writing again. So stay tuned for more instalments.

Until next time

K