Power in variety
If the final two years have taught us something, it’s the basic fact that collective motion, freed from self-interest, prejudice or judgement, can obtain superb issues.
Have a look at the superb pace with which protected and extremely efficient coronavirus vaccines had been developed because the pandemic took maintain. A course of typically taking greater than a decade was compressed into mere months.
This channeling of effort was spurred, partly, by people and organisations setting variations apart and collaborating as by no means earlier than to serve the frequent good. Many 1000’s of lives had been saved consequently.
International Women’s Day has chosen ‘break the bias’ as this 12 months’s theme and whereas its relevance to latest occasions, at house and overseas, will not be instantly obvious, I consider we are able to all draw energy from its excellent in these worrying occasions.
The official web site asks us to “Think about a gender equal world, a world freed from bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, a world that’s various, equitable, and inclusive. A world the place distinction is valued and celebrated.”
These phrases have a brand new and horrible relevance as we battle to grasp the mindless tragedy unfolding in Ukraine and Putin’s wilful distortion of the reality to sow division, discord and intolerance amongst those that don’t share his world view.
The inequality of battle
As is so typically the case in occasions of battle, it’s girls who bear the disproportionate brunt of this undesirable disruption to our lives. It’s they who battle to maintain households protected and relationships robust as many males depart to defend their nation.
I’m not simply speaking about Ukrainian girls both. You should have seen on the information the superb kindness of ladies (and households on the whole) in neighbouring nations like Poland, providing their houses as protected havens to these fleeing the battle. In these conditions, there isn’t a bias, standards or hidden agenda, simply heartfelt expressions of compassion and the popularity of a common fact: we’re all human and all of us need assistance typically.
I really feel notably robust feelings for our Ukrainian care colleagues working within the UK (prone to be primarily girls, given the longstanding gender bias in our sector), who can be so anxious about household, mates and family members again in Ukraine.
Final week, I reached out to certainly one of my ex colleagues, who’s a care employee, to supply my help to her and her household and mates. She informed me they’re robust and resolute, which made me really feel much more insufficient as this tragedy unfolds.
I hope it’s of some consolation to know that she and her fellow Ukrainians work in a supportive, accepting and compassionate office, the place there may be all the time somebody to speak to when all of it will get an excessive amount of.
Worldwide Ladies’s Day reminds us that, by celebrating our variations, we make ourselves stronger, whilst others would possibly want us to collapse. No matter our gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity or beliefs, what unites us as girls – as human beings – is our perception in a greater world for everybody.
