Speak up, Speak Out
We continue to live in interesting times and have to increasingly look inwards as we make sense of so much senselessness around us. Between the almost incomprehensible number of people who have lost their lives due to the COVID- 19 pandemic and the evidence of disregard for human life from those who should know better, our world seems increasingly fragile.
These times are a reminder of the fragility of human life and the need to make sense of the time we have. To be committed to using the gift of life that we continue to enjoy to make a positive and lasting impression, firstly with my family but also my broader community.
As a mother, I don’t have the luxury of being overwhelmed by life. I need to ensure that I can shield my children from the apparent dangers, as well as teach them to process the realities of our society which have morphed in many ways beyond the norm. The lockdown has forced families into bubbles that if not carefully balanced amplifies stress factors in a way that is unsustainable and potentially unhealthy. We have become a very concentrated lens through which our children view society (thankfully, mine are too young to be influenced by social media!). That loss of external physical human interactions effectively denies them invaluable opportunities to socialize in a way that virtual tools only really scratch the surface.
In balancing our mental health, we must not lose sight of the importance of looking towards the psychological well being of our children.
The power of positive reinforcement to ensure that our kids continue to know that during the turbulent times we live in they are safe and more importantly loved.
It is impossible to have missed the current upswell against racial injustice triggered by the tragic loss of Geroge Floyd, killed in police custody in the city of Minneapolis in the United States. The shocking video has triggered demonstrations on both sides of the Atlantic with thousands taking to the street, many defying the personal risk to their health and the real threat of sanctions for breaking lockdown restrictions in their cities and countries. I have been impressed by the level of diversity in voices rising to condemn the status quo and to call for a real change.
I am reminded that in life, we will come across a variety of people with diverse viewpoints and values. There have been divisive voices and people who believe the status quo should be maintained. A few commentators have even gone as fas as to promote assertion that racism and inequality are not real issues that warrant the level of interest and justify the diversion of resources that will be necessary to get to grips with real change.
I am firmly against speaking out for the sake of saying something as that takes up valuable listening space and reinforces division. However, this is not to say that I do not recognize the need to speak out against injustice because I do; it is, in my view, a fundamental requirement for all decent human beings! However, to add value to the discourse, we need to go beyond just speaking out. What is required is speaking out and speaking up, this involves commentary that informs, inspires, and innovate. There is so much pain, and anger and much (if not all) of it is justified, but what benefit is there to stoke the fires if we cannot actively offer solutions? Racism is but a symptom of a system of values built on prejudice. This value system lives in the hearts of people who propagate, disseminate, and consciously or unconsciously reinforce the concept that any race, gender, orientation or physical limitation amongst others are ‘less’.
Speaking up for me means that whenever we encounter persons that hold such views, we do whatever we can to inform them of the error in their thinking and inspire a mindset-change when we can. We must also push to introduce new ways of ‘doing’ that will challenge the status quo and if necessary, disrupt the olds systems that are unbalanced and lead to bias.
Whatever stage you find yourself be it convicted to take to the street in protest or compelled to speak out on a platform or to withhold your finances from a system that is broken and fails to recognize your value. Whether you belong to a group that experiences constant discrimination or you are a person with affinity and wishing to stand up as an ally, make sure that you use your voice and power to inform, inspire and innovate! Our children depend on us to leave a better world for them, and this is a burden this generation must collectively work towards actively.
