Two-hundred dollars. That’s how much I spent on Uber rides last semester. I saved my money for emergencies or “just in case” scenarios. And two or three times a week I found it necessary to dip into those “just in case” funds. Usually, the Uber rides took place from campus to my off-campus apartment as I was leaving an extracurricular or a friend’s house at night. And every time, I reluctantly paid that eight-or-so dollars for the Uber ride back. I watched as my money dwindled, but at least I was granted peace of mind.

“That’s a waste of money,” friends would say to me as I pulled up the app. “Why don’t you just walk? You’re only going down the street. Nothing’s going to happen. You’re so extra.” The comments made me uncomfortable, and honestly, a little sorry. Was I being dramatic? After all, they were right; I never really Uber more than ten minutes away from my destination. I began to wonder if I was overthinking. I began doubting myself. I felt as though my means to protect myself—my version of safety —was seen by others as trivial and overdramatic. I was embarrassed.

Something I learned then is that personal safety isn’t always straightforward; what might make you feel safe may be strange to others. What you may see as “extra,” someone else may feel is necessary. There is nothing wrong with having an opinion, but there is a problem when we make someone else’s safety inaccessible to them, and that’s a possibility when we condemn one’s means to safety. When we claim that not wanting to walk alone at night or wanting to take an Uber is “extra” or “unnecessary,” we are creating a barrier between a person and their means to protection.

It shouldn’t be like this. I shouldn’t have felt as though I had to compromise my safety, forgo my own comfort, at the expense of others’ comments. No one wants to be ashamed of what makes them comfortable and it isn’t for us to shame them for it. We should support our friends, our peers, in maintaining their safety, not make them feel guilty for it.

It’s easy to let your opinions overshadow someone else’s and to view life through your own lens, not theirs. But when it comes to safety, it’s imperative that we check our biases. We don’t all share the same life experiences, experiences that often shape our decisions. Thus, if there was ever a realm where bias should be removed, it is that of safety.