Tag Archives: reflection and action
I wish you time
Another year is coming to an end, a new one is approaching. My wish for us all is captured in the words of the German poet Elli Michler – her poem “I wish you time” is a reminder that the way … Continue reading
Posted in Letters to the field
Tagged poems for humanitarians, reflection and action
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Aid to Zen: W – Wounded Healer
This post is part of Aid to Zen – A Quick Guide to Surviving Aid Work from A to Z by Alessandra Pigni. I’ve always been a rather poor student of Latin and Greek back in high school, but I did love … Continue reading
Black humour in crisis
The most recent chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun in northern Syria acts as a reminder of what the Syrian people have been enduring in these years of war. How can one cope with all of that? If you watched the … Continue reading
Posted in Burnout
Tagged aid workers' mental health, humanitarian ethics, reflection and action
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Nope, you can’t “be the change” alone
“Positive Attitude” Bullshit: On the dangers of “radical self-love”, reads the title of what I think is a provocative post that brings together important reflections on the “personal and the political” that may be of interest to my fellow readers. … Continue reading
Disruptive reflections from 2014
My favourite reflections of 2014 – not all about humanitarian stuff, or mindfulness, or burnout. Because to think and act outside the box we need to read outside the box. We are lucky, it’s really not unusual in the humanitarian sector to … Continue reading
Personal and Global Development are Linked
Personal, social and political transformation are interconnected. Yes, ‘the personal is political’. As a psychologist with a passion for the state of the world I’m glad to see that more and more research shows that personal wellbeing, awareness and development are intimately connected … Continue reading
Finding meaning in a crazy world
Jerusalem is under a thick coat of snow, and snowmen pop up at every corner. While I get ready to leave this crazy land, I like to remind myself that as human beings we crave for love and meaning in this … Continue reading
Love is the most potent source of power
Can we see the connection between healthy relations at work, and our ability to enable change in the world? One cannot be burnt-out and have a positive impact out there. This is common sense. So why is it that many … Continue reading
The Time to Reconnect
In our lives immersed in technology, we rarely shut everything off. We turn on when we wake up, and are on our devices until we go to sleep. I’m not immune to this. Very few people these days are. And … Continue reading
Less distractions, more focus: how to survive in the field
“If you chase two rabbits, both will escape” said an unknown sage. And she was right. I doubt you have rabbits to run after, but no doubt you have way too many commitments, meetings, paperwork, reports to write. Life in the … Continue reading