Awareness vs. Experience

“There are things you learn holding a cat by the tail that you can’t learn any other way”.

I attended a seminar where the speaker shared that line. It’s stuck with me over the years and comes in handy when I have to laugh at the way I’ve gotten some of my experience! It’s one thing to be aware of a disease, cause or topic. It’s quite another to personally experience it. I’ve recently discovered that I need to actively challenge my personal definition of awareness. So, to clarify the difference between awareness and experience, I once again turn to my trusty Miriam Webster dictionary for some working definitions:

AWARE      Pronunciation: \ə-'wer\         Function: adjective
--having or showing realization, perception, or knowledge — aware•ness noun  AWARE implies vigilance in observing or alertness in drawing inferences from what one experiences .   

synonyms COGNIZANT, CONSCIOUS, SENSIBLE, ALIVE, AWAKE mean having knowledge of something.  COGNIZANT implies having special or certain knowledge as from firsthand sources . CONSCIOUS implies that one is focusing one's attention on something or is even preoccupied by it . SENSIBLE implies direct or intuitive perceiving especially of intangibles or of emotional states or qualities . ALIVE adds to SENSIBLE the implication of acute sensitivity to something . AWAKE implies that one has become alive to something and is on the alert . I really like some of the synonyms!!!Photo by Hannibal Poenaru

EXPERIENCE     Pronunciation: \ik-'spir-ē-ən(t)s\       Function: noun

1. a : direct observation of or participation in events as a basis of knowledge b : the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation
2. a : practical knowledge, skill, or practice derived from direct observation of or participation in events or in a particular activity b : the length of such participation
3. a : the conscious events that make up an individual life b : the events that make up the conscious past of a community or nation or humankind generally
4. something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through
5. the act or process of directly perceiving events or reality

Interestingly, there are no synonyms listed with Experience. Aware/Awareness is an adjective or descriptor. Experience is noun or a word used to name a thing (person, place, abstract idea). Awareness…describes. Experience…is. My conclusion….just as in life, experience stands on its own and needs no additional definition!

So this month I’ll talk about Domestic Violence AND Breast Cancer, using some of my new found synonyms as a perspective, to share resources, raise awareness and honor some of my closest friends. I regularly count my blessings that I have awareness of both issues and no direct experience -insert the sound of knocking on wood here! Breast Cancer is easy to discuss…it’s everywhere… in its every shade of pink glory! This is probably why we can all quote the statistics, practice self exams, get regular mammograms, and are now able to detect a small lump before it gets to the danger zone. For an experienced perspective, I’ve turned to some of my closest friends who have survived breast cancer, and am thrilled to share their stories. But, like suicide, we don’t talk much about violence inflicted by those closest to us, so I’ll focus a bit more on Domestic Violence this month.

It is my fondest hope that you never have to hold the tail of Breast Cancer or personal violence. No one needs or deserves that experience. Peace.