Greetings and Happy Midweek!
2 weeks ago, in our Connect moments together, we looked at cultural facets of contingency drills, in the context of planning for an impending crisis - which that very day was a monster hurricane devastating my home base area of southwest Florida.
Last week I didn’t send a Connect - only the 2nd week I have missed in the past 2+ years. I was instead putting all my energy into supporting family and friends from a distance as they faced the devastation Hurricane Ian left in its wake.
I’m continuing to pause this week from our Connect routine because I want to share a personal reflection and an in-sight on navigating this level of crisis, in a global context.
As each day has dawned over destroyed communities and lives I am closely connected with, one thing I’ve repeatedly reflected on is that disaster and devastating loss and grief are happening literally around the world every single day. While it’s only natural to be most concerned about what we each know and are familiar with - which for me for now is southwest Florida…my goodness - let’s never forget our common bond, our ‘connect’, with the global community. And let’s never become complacent in the face of someone else’s tough times - be they a neighbor or someone literally on the other side of the world.
One insight into the personal toll that crisis takes, for all who are directly and indirectly impacted, is that it’s not only about the day the crisis happens, or a week after, or a ‘news cycle’. It’s about experiencing repeated trauma (visual, emotional, in some cases physical) for countless lives which have been completely uprooted. Day in and day out…
So, what can we - as those standing by - do to help? What I have seen in the past 2 weeks is that it’s actually not necessarily about moving forward immediately into relief and recovery. Rather sometimes, it’s just simply about being there, being together in every way I and you and we can - to support and comfort and ‘just listen’. It doesn’t ‘feel’ like it’s enough, maybe. And the time for action will come. But for now, for today and probably tomorrow, it is enough. It’s community, together.
How about you ~ how can you reach out today to someone in crisis…and just be there for them?
Instead of our usual Global SKILLs LINKs moment, act on what you shared above…reach out and touch someone you know in crisis. Just be there for them!
Thanks for being part of this Connect community.
Until next week,
Betsy
Through my business Global SKILLs and several partner subsidiaries I offer unique cross-cultural consulting and training including:
3 Dimensional Dynamics Model: 1st dimension = HOME ; 2nd dimension = HOST ;
3rd dimension = HARBOR (which we explored this week)
PROACTive Learning Strategies: (which we explored this week) PRO = PROfile, PROcess, PROgram
ACT = Application, Collaboration and Transformation
~ contact me for more information on this model and these strategies and how you might use them in your current programming
2022 ~ Celebrating 40+ years of working in
intercultural communications and global community building
“It takes a community to build a community”
Please Note: this is copyrighted content.
Please do not reproduce or share without my permission (betsy.barbour@gmail.com)