This blog is meant for business purpose, linked to subjects in diversity, inclusion, cross-cultural questions, expatriation and coaching. My subject today has a thin link to coaching and inclusion, the theme is however more linked to current events.
Reading the newspapers and watching the news can be a really depressive thing to do. And lately it has got to me more than usual. Clearly the event in Norway with a totality of 180 people injured and dead got to me, as I am a Norwegian and Oslo is “my” city. The young people on Utøya who survived, have memories of a massacre and the individual stories are distressing. The famine in Africa also gets to me, and particularly the fact that bandits rape women in front of their children while they are trying to get to rescue camps. Both stories are for me examples of the evil side of men. I ask myself a lot of questions. How come people do these things? What drives them? What happened to their empathy and how are they able to cut off their humanity like this? And what on earth can I do?? Not only in these two cases, but in general when seeing or hearing of something heartbreaking.
In coaching and NLP communication we talk about “reframing”, which means to reconsider a situation, see it from another perspective and frame it positively. Considering the situation described above, I could:
– Consider that the Norwegian madman achieved the opposite of what he wanted and he has spurred more inclusion and openness to multiculturalism in the Norwegian society. I contribute to that by doing the work I do; I help individuals and businesses embrace diversity.
Sometimes it is difficult to reframe, but one can consider how to help or improve the situation. E. g. I have difficulty in finding a positive reframing of famine and rape, but I can contribute by giving money for food, medicine and education. If anyone has ideas on reframing, I would love to hear it.
Far from as dramatic as above, but another thing that gets to me, are dogs which are kept in a small space and never get out and get little or no affection. I can help by spending a few minutes every day when passing by, giving them some love and a biscuit.
When we read about huge catastrophes as war, tsunamis, famine, crime, shoot-outs, etc it sure does feel overwhelming. And I don’t know about you, but I often feel helpless. That’s when I bring out the idea of reframing and reflecting on what I CAN do and where I CAN contribute, even if it is just a little thing, a little effort.
