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Collaboration not Competition

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An Innovation, Technology & Design Summit recently took place in Sydney, with the goal of businesses sharing their efforts and contributions towards sustainability. A lot came out of the many sessions which took place with a range of topics including fashion, technology, medicine and health care, food, packaging, transport, circularity and manufacturing. Understanding further about the capacity for businesses to make contributions to a sustainable future was really valuable and is something which should be promoted more. A key finding which came out of the summit, which was reflected in many sessions and topics, was the concept of having collaborators and not competitors. Typically, a lot of development within communities and around the world is often associated with the not-for-profit sector and with charities. Whilst it’s good to have the work that’s being done with many development organisations, I think it can be limiting to have it exclusive to just these spaces. With a growing awareness about climate change, global warming, pollution and waste now is the time to innovate and share the responsibility of a sustainable planet and future, beyond the not-for-profit sector. A panellist at one of the sessions at the summit highlighted their thoughts around business models and shared their belief of approaching work with the mindset of “we don’t have competitors, we have collaborators”. Rethinking development in this way is a conscious shift from a model of aggression and rivalry to partnership and team work. It’s great to encourage businesses to support and align themselves with charities or important causes however, increasing awareness as to how businesses can make modifications and reduce things like their carbon footprint, with the goods or services which they produce, may make more of an impact. For example, the summit was informative of enhancing awareness about the detrimental impact which food packaging has on the planet. I was surprised to hear that food packaging can cause more harm to the environment than animal production for consumption and travelling by aeroplane. Whilst today I feel that people are generally quite informed about environmental degradation, being informed across a wider range of things which harm the planet and people, which have the most harmful affect like food packaging, can highlight areas where businesses can be more involved in making modifications to their outputs. In terms of greater individual responsibility fashion and waste was brought up. Today there are increased rates of consumption and production of clothes. The concept of how something can be reused and what people now are calling “preloved” clothes was discussed. How people can learn about proper care for their clothes so that countless items don’t continue to end up in landfill each year is the goal; or when clothes no longer serve a purpose to ensure that they are donated and not thrown away. Overall, whether there is work done at the individual or organisational level to contribute to a more sustainable world, success will be achieved through more collaborative action; where the outputs are focused on sustainability directly.

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Enrich your Life: G I V E

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We think of riches as everything of value that we have – material possessions, power, and authority over people, a sphere of influence in situations and events affecting ourselves or the people around us. We strive, we struggle, we latch onto these things, and to whatever else that gives security and purpose to our existence. Further down the road, we anticipate contentment and happiness waiting for us. Can we or have we determined how far we need to go to get there?  Tomorrow is not guaranteed. No one knows when the heart will beat its last. We plan and work on our dreams and goals for the future but often miss out on how we can enrich our lives in the here and now. Each day brings some measure of contentment and happiness if you live to G. I. V. E.   GIVE in or GIVE up Give in when you must; go with the flow. Some things unfold in their own time. Life leaves you gasping for breath when you have to assert yourself in everything at all times like one who swims continually against the current to get across the river. Either you reach it all spent up or you drown. Life is a battlefield lived out daily; choose your battles. Giving up requires as much wisdom and courage as taking up one. As an old saying goes, “He that fights and runs away, may turn and fight another day; but he that is in battle slain, will never rise to fight again.”   IMPART (something) of yourself Each one of us has something of ourselves to give. There is joy in giving and it comes in a multitude of ways and forms. Finances or material possession Time Skill or Talent Laughter, a listening ear, your company Words of empathy, encouragement, or inspiration Truth, gratitude, understanding & patience SMILE. To a loved one, a friend, a co-worker, or some random stranger, it may be the only positive thing in the moment that uplifts and gets them through the day. Above all, FORGIVE. Holding on to anger, resentment, or grudge disables you, much as extending forgiveness enables the giver to live free from a burden weighing one down.   VENTILATE thoughts and feelings Mental illness kills. The World Health Organization states that more than 700,000 people die from suicide every year. Psychotherapy is always, if not in all, involved in the treatment of depression. Ventilating your thoughts and feelings is therapeutic. Talk to someone, find release for whatever is building up in your heart and mind. Investing in good and healthy relationships will set you off to a good start.   EMBRACE LIFE in its fullness Life is a journey that runs the whole gamut of the highs and lows – love and hate, pleasure and pain, peace and chaos, triumph and defeat. As sentient beings, we go through these emotions our whole lives. We are also endowed with a critical mind and free will to determine our paths, and the course to take. Yes, there are things within our control and things that are not. However, by embracing life in its fullness we are rendered whole.  In this material world, we are valued by what we have, not by what we let go of. Set this mindset aside, recalibrate your compass, and embark on a life greatly enriched by what you G. I. V. E.   Reference/s: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide

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A Crane for Ukraine

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I’m trying to think of a time when there wasn’t a dire humanitarian crisis around the world. I keep trying to reminisce on more peaceful times, even if they’re fiction. Perhaps that’s why many of us remember the past with such nostalgia and romanticise periods in history. Now we are experiencing the invasion and destruction of Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis which follows. At times I hear people echo the rhetoric that they care or want to help people but they don’t know what to do. I believe that even if people are unsure of how to help that support can still be shown in so many ways. When Ash Wednesday occurred, my workplace organised a large prayer to show our support with Ukraine. The feelings were shared of people who were grieving and wondering what action could be taken from abroad. What everything kept being brought back to was prayer. Even if people aren’t necessarily religious, prayer is something which has such a powerful effect on people and which drives many through such difficult times. I noticed that it is something which a number of people revert back to during tough and unpredictable periods. In instances of prayer often people will ask for guidance when being confronted with the unknowing. I do not necessarily have prayer to engage with in the same way as some other people. However, I have found that it is not always a religious symbol, place or practice which is required to find solace and guidance in. For Christmas one year my sister gave me a little box which has a glass ball in it and inside there is a paper crane. I remembered the story vaguely and was reminded of the beautiful story of Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was impacted by the atomic bombing in Japan during World War 2. When she fell ill she decided to make one thousand paper cranes, in hope that she would be granted one wish. Her wish was world peace, hope and recovery from her illness. The story of one thousand paper cranes today represent world peace and creating a more peaceful planet. I may not have the same religious faith to revert back to when bad things happen but I often refer back to this little crane on my desk. It really gives me hope of the power of symbols, people and how movements around the world can be generated through what are considered such small gestures at the time. When my father passed away I wasn’t sure what to say when giving a speech at his funeral. It was a very complicated time but in this instance I referred back to my crane; my symbol for hope. I found some peace and solace in this and decided to share the story of Sadako at his funeral. I ended with a quote from Sadako, in reference to her paper cranes she made; “I will write peace on your wings and you shall fly all over the world”. I continue to hear the outrage, fear and hopelessness of many people; not just within the charity sector but more broadly. People generally appear to be quite supportive of helping the people of Ukraine and finding ways to support them. I hope that this reaction towards Ukraine is a domino effect, like the paper cranes, with other humanitarian crisis and that people can support other people when there is need.

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