tloegp

[tloegp]

Response from Dr Widad Akrawi

Thank you very much for your email. It is indeed a time of turmoil and global instability and that does undoubtedly affect our lives, mostly in a negative manner. I am very worried about the toll the recent events are taking on all of us, in particular the civilians affected directly by those conflicts and those outside of combat who want to help but are considering where to start. I welcome your questions and am glad to share my views.  In my opinion, what you can do to make the world better depends on how much time and effort you'd like to put into it. I believe that people who aren't directly involved in the (armed) conflicts can contribute enormously to ending human rights violations and promoting and protecting global peace. If we are generous of our love, compassion, and time, we will certainly be able to make the world a better place. The first step to accomplish that is by deciding what we are willing to do and how we can influence our behaviours. This can be a spiritual journey that is largely associated with the individual's commitment and the interpersonal communication and coordination skills. Clearly, humans rely on communication and collaboration in order to survive. Meanwhile, it is evident that human growth, global peace and civic and social responsibility are interlinked. When we dedicate time to this work we'll establish a connection to our inner selves. Furthermore, it is well-known that our emotions are powerful and they are much more contagious than, for instance, viruses and bacteria. Similarly, it is important to remember that thoughts, words (sentences), behaviours, habits and values are related to one another. Therefore, what we can do on a daily basis is to be positive and hopefully by the end of the day positivity will find us and embrace us. This type of growth will produce balanced individuals who are happier, more contend with their lives, and capable of serving their communities. Such individuals can achieve their goals, thereby becoming whoever they decide to be. We reach our best state of mind when we work on improving our strengths and encourage others to do so. If we don't do that we'll gradually lose our sense of purpose. When we improve as individuals we improve as advocates for human rights and peace; hence, we become empowered by the power of compassion.  Another option could be that you devote much of your energy to change our world through volunteerism and philanthropy. In this case, you may decide to volunteer your time to support charities, orphanages (or children's organisations), NGOs, community groups or centres supporting marginalised populations. You may aim to raise awareness to ensure that everyone in our societies remembers that civilians, through circumstances outside of their control, may end up in the middle of civil wars or transnational conflicts. For them, even a warm thought or a smile might work wonders. Sometimes we might help the world one individual at a time. I have tried all the above and I can tell you it is fantastic; you always get back so much more than you give. Such experiences change us in profound ways. The accumulation of these experiences will make a huge difference not only in your life but also in the world because the enlightenment, motivation, effectiveness and the sense of partnership that grows inside you will be reflected in your interaction with others and because behaviours and thoughts are contagious this positivity will be reflected at the global level.  Alternatively, you might decide to devote your time to your kids (if you have kids). Although spending time with kids can be considered as a personal choice, it does have a huge impact on our world. Helping the next generation reach their full potential can be a wise choice given that adults will have a tremendous amount of impact on those who are responsible for building the future of our world. When adults teach their kids to treat people as equals feelings of helplessness and uncertainty will go away and very often be replaced by stronger feelings of accomplishment and self-confidence.  So, it is a personal choice and whatever you choose, you will inevitably become involved in creating a better world. Even the initiative you have taken to ask people like me to express their opinion on this matter is for the betterment of our world. I believe you are already part of influencing change in our world. You are recognising the humanity of others. You are acknowledging those around you and has invited them to a limitless virtual space where they can share lessons learned in life. Thank you so much for this opportunity and a special thanks for caring about the world. You have unleashed your spontaneity and creativity and that demonstrates your ability to inspire others.  Last but not least, I would like to say that coexistence and personal peace are at the heart of global peace and harmony. It's a matter of insight, order, confidence, rhythm and balance. The Dalai Lama has famously said "the roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness." Also, the novelist  Anatole France has said: "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe." I hope you'll find my views helpful. May you find peace and comfort within yourself and may your decisions help you and your loved ones thrive, both internally and externally! Wishing you a great week of work! In peace and solidarity Widad -- Dr. Widad Akrawi Human rights defender, peace advocate and co-founder of DEFEND INTERNATIONAL

[tloegp]

Response from Save The Children

Hello,

Thank you for your email. I agree with you that it can seem hard to help sometimes, especially with some of the horrible things that seem to going on in the world.

My best advice would be to contact your local MP and arrange for a meeting to discuss your concerns. You could get your friends and family involved too and together, could really make a difference. Even something such as signing an online petition can have an impact. We currently have an online petition which we are aim to deliver to the UN Secretary General calling for an immediate ceasefire in the current Gaza Crisis. If you would like to sign this, then the following link has all the details you need http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/stop-killing-children-gaza-israel.

I hope my advice has been useful and should you have any other questions, please feel free to get back in touch.

Best wishes

Laura Prout

Supporter Care Adviser

Individual Giving and Legacies

Save the Children, 1 St John's Lane, London EC1M 4AR

Direct line +44 (0)20 7012 6400

Email supporter.care@savethechildren.org.uk

  Please take a moment to watch these 2 vlogs from our Senior Communications Manager Osama Damo and support our Emergency Appeal for Gaza.  We can then scale up our response and reach even more children and their families.  Thank you.  

  Vlog1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XsDwkHUErE&feature=youtu.be

  Vlog2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AeEQlRJnz8&feature=youtu.be

[tloegp]

Response from Mr Noam Chomsky

It depends which issues are your priorities.  Whatever they are, it’s likely that there are groups working hard to deal with the problems, and they can always use participation and support.

[tloegp]

What Can I Do To Help?

Living in a safe, friendly European city, it becomes all to easy to distance myself from the atrocities, conflict and pain happening in other areas of the world. 

Yet with one read of a newspaper I can learn of the awful things happening currently, in other not so lucky countries.

Just in the last few weeks we have learnt of the Malaysian airline attack over the Ukraine, the many Palestinian children being killed in what seems like a never ending war, another Amazonian tribe being forced out of their homeland, the innocent people beheaded by extremists in Iraq, and those poor children who are preyed on by pedophiles in countries such as the Philippines. To name only but a few issues that need solving around the world.

Also the more you research into such things, however, the more it becomes apparent that we, from the safety of our own homes, are supporting such horrendous activities, more willingly than we think. 

We are the ones buying products from certain brands that either contribute to the destruction of the environment or finance the arms for extremists. We are the ones who don't pay attention enough to our voting opportunities and choose to not voice our so called freedom of speech enough over such terrible things.

It feels like we place a higher importance on how often our rubbish will be collected or how late our train service will be, to how many children are dying in situations around the world that we should be fighting to stop.

It has become all too easy for us to turn a blind eye.

Yet once we become aware of what is going on  - what can we actually do to help?

What can we do now that will actually make a positive difference to all these terrible situations?

It is with this question in mind, that I wrote to several charities and peace activists to ask their opinion. What do they suggest we can do, now, to help the world become a better place?

This blog is where I will place all their responses.

Thanks to all those who contributed and to all those who now read their answers.

Maybe together we really can change the world for the better.