Trying to make sense of my little bit.
One of the smartest, bravest, kindest things we can do is listen to ourselves when our ‘why’ is changing. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s time to throw out the ‘how’. It may just be a clue that we’re maturing, we’re growing, we’re learning new things.
I was just starting to understand that there were other ways of understanding the world that did not centre around the dominant rhetoric I'd grown up with: whiteness, Christianity and generosity through charity. Vu Le led the way to the door; Anand Giridharadas handed me the key.
Those older than us do not have a monopoly on perspective, maturity, and experience Yes, our lives may be limited by our lack of money, lack of resources, lack of privilege, lack of education, lack of time. However, here are four things you can do when you feel like your age is holding you back.
When a cisgender person chooses to display their pronouns, many people ask, “Why?” The undertone of that question is, “Isn’t it obvious what pronoun you identify with?” And that’s what makes it all the more important for cisgender people to share. Those in dominant positions of society – those with platforms, privilege and/or power – have the ability (I would also argue the responsibility) to normalise behaviours that prioritise inclusivity and dignity for everyone.
Let’s be honest: “switch off” is a misleading phrase. There is no switch that would cause us not to keep thinking about what’s on our mind. That is why people often remark that the first few days of a holiday do not really feel like a holiday at all. We cannot turn concentration or care on and off.
Do I trust everyone and hang all hope on just remembering when we get to July and rip into planning? Is “just remembering” a sound business strategy, ever?
With our personal lives, we usually know what to do to solve our problems. But the ones we’re paid to be solving are nuanced, fraught with risk and unlikely to have a solution that pleases everyone; as Seth Godin rightly says, all the easy problems are taken.
Hearing Bas’s story, it’s reminded me of the situations where another perspective has helped a lot more. Sometimes we don’t need expertise. We need a reframe.
Jemma Balmer 