humanist

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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Love…actually

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I don’t feel hopeless about intimate, romantic love when Valentine’s Day rolls around. It’s fun to do something silly like my sister and I do to celebrate. We usually order Thai food and watch cringey shark movies. I definitely think that love should always be celebrated and expressed, not just on this day. I often think about different types of love and relationships, similar to the way the movie ‘Love Actually’ explores them. The film explores romance in so many settings; so many settings where we wouldn’t expect it and often that love is our saviour. It may not always be a fairy tale with someone declaring their romantic feelings towards us in public. Often that love which some of us are lucky enough to experience is unconditional, hard to find and provides fulfilment and support which many take for granted. There are many different types of love worth celebrating. I think sometimes people get caught up in the fantasy of a romantic, intimate partner; which can be lovely but I think that other types of love and relationships are really worth cherishing and commemorating. Friendship is a type of relationship which I feel is neglected and its importance diminished. We live in a time where too many people see others as disposable and claim that “I’m just so bad at keeping in touch with people”. I agree that some people are wired to be more independent than others or perhaps gravitate more towards the group; so if someone organises a social event then they tag along to that. However, I hear so many other people saying “we just lost touch” or “they moved overseas” or some other excuse as to why the friendship wasn’t maintained. I remember having a conversation with someone who was admiring her father and his friend who managed to keep in touch for decades, before a lot of the technology which we have today. I agreed and said it is very admirable, whilst being quite frustrated as to how she couldn’t seem to manage to keep in touch with many of her friends. My father was the same, he kept in touch with many of his friends from childhood and his military days. I naively think that today it should be easier to keep in touch with people given how fast electronic communication is. I don’t know why it’s so much harder for people. Are we all just too busy? Are people considered too disposable? Are we deluded and think no effort should be put into relationships? I often think about that scene in Love Actually where it’s a video montage of all these different people greeting each other at Heathrow airport. I think all of that affection is such a beautiful reminder of the diversity of love and the importance of it. For many people a lot of our love which we receive and give over the course of our lives is between relatives and amongst friends. I think that is something to be nurtured and celebrated. Love…actually is around.

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A Humanist Approach to Change

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I’ve always thought that a platform for storytelling could be a powerful tool. Many cultures have a strong appreciation and tradition of storytelling. When I was fourteen, I knew then that I wanted to be involved in writing and using different forms of expression to share and develop ideas. Initially I thought I would have to write fiction in order to effectively evoke ideas and emotions. I believed that fiction was the way to go as I did not see myself as having a unique perspective or experience. This idea that a person’s experience or perspective has to be somewhat unheard of in order to have value is not something I agree with. I found myself questioning ‘what does it mean to be unique?’. I kept trying to find out if I was unique but that was the wrong question. I realised that examining the world and going through certain challenges which I didn’t know how to manage was reason enough to write and share. I found that people genuinely appreciated this sharing and would respond with “I’ve never thought about it like that”. Fast-forward to now and I couldn’t think further from my fourteen-year-old self. I started to slowly write down anything that interested me, from cringeworthy attempts at screenplays to titles of band names. All of this contributed to ongoing critical assessments of the world and people, to then formulate into written reflections. I believe that many of us who feel isolated, small or that our experiences are sometimes insignificant can gain a lot from sharing and storytelling. I wanted to be a part of this sharing and collaboration, which is when I teamed up with Inspireflix. I will continue to post content here about Inspireflix’s campaigns, documentaries and on social issues. As a humanist myself I definitely appreciate the value of people, their capabilities and contributions. At times what I write can be interpreted as pessimistic of people and the world, however I am an idealist and I know that humans are capable of incredible things and positive change. I want these blog posts to encourage thinking, unlearning, and ultimately contribute to shifting the way people interact with each other. I believe within the world that a sense of community is important and by maintaining this structure we can incite more storytellers to come out and share their experiences. Talking about each other’s hardships and triumphs is something which can give each of us hope. I believe that from this people can better understand how to manage challenging times without falling into a downward spiral. Sharing also has such an impact to de-stigmatise many topics and concerns which some of us may not have heard of, or have no idea how to deal with. I recognise that not everyone has the appropriate or desired support structures around them and by creating a positive space for sharing and change, I hope that Inspireflix and the content it produces can provide some solace, support and inspire change for the better.

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