I want to share some notes from my education assistant training this past year.
Preventing bullying is done by building a community. Community involves a sense of belonging.
“To become a community, students must learn to live in someone else’s skin, understand the parallels of hurt, struggle and joy across class and culture lines and work for change. For that to happen, students need more than an upbeat, supportive teacher; they need a curriculum that encourages them to have empathy for others.”
Just as the education system is striving to evolve, our systems for politics, health and other areas of management need to evolve. I think our current governing system is modelling and promoting bullying with its on-going desperate mandates that promote fear and separation among the people on all sides.
It is dividing us rather than uniting us.
I would love it if our leaders would allow and insist on open discussions with different views among the experts. This would allow the concerns of others to be heard, so that we all can at least witness the other sides and therefore live with more compassion and understanding rather than judgments, desperations to be heard and seen, and harshness in either direction.
As you know our experiences shape us. I want to ask you this: If following the mandate to get a vaccination passport was/is an easy decision for you, why is that? What experiences and/or conditions did you have that made this decision logical for you? What do you think has shaped others who are struggling with this decision?
What conditions and/or experiences do you think that the non-passport holders have had throughout their lives to be willing to be judged as inconsiderate, uncaring people and willing to lose their jobs and livelihood?
Could there be a more conscious motivation for their actions? It would be amazing if we could, as a community, start prioritizing the time to hear and live with greater curiosity and compassion around any minority and/or underprivileged groups concerns and questions.
I hope we can all start connecting more and reaching out to those you may rather not and try to find areas of connection rather than separation.
I do have some calls to action for my own contribution toward promoting more connection, communication, empowerment and healing in our community.
If any are keen to connect on some ideas for this please contact me at empowerbcnorth@gmail.com.
“I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary people like us that keep darkness at bay. Small acts that we can do in love and kindness that will make a big difference.”
With love, gratitude and smiles,
Lisa Perry
Smithers