I've never been the most academically guided, but I am an obsessive learner. Today I learnt that you shouldn't wear a plaster over a wound for more than 3 hours, according to my hilarious colleague's first aid training. I at least, had it in my head that said plaster could stay on for days (if it didn't first slide off in the shower), or however long it took to heal the wound. But I realise we regularly underestimate the brilliance of the human body. On Sunday I unexpectedly found myself as videographer for a CRY charity fundraiser - an evening of burlesque and circus entertainment in memory of a seemingly healthy young man, who lost his life to an undiagnosed heart condition. In this instance, his physical health issues lay undetected, while for those mourning his death, even five years on they are still grieving.
The biological power of our bodies to look after themselves is generally truly incredible however, and I'm sure you can all think of an example where you have injured yourself, with anything from a paper cut, a hangover or a broken bone, and yet your body has rejuvenated itself. As I learnt in my undergrad psychology studies, the simultaneous relationship between stress and pain very clearly effects your physical and mental well-being. I'm writing this on the 16th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York, following the catastrophic flooding and Hurricanes in The Carribbean and North America, the unprecedented fatal rainfall in and around Mumbai, India in the last month, and during the escalating crisis of the Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar. There have been a multitude of evacuations resulting in homeless refugees around the world due to war and natural disasters, where millions of people have fled the place they call home en mass, in search of safety. The New York Times recently wrote an article about the atrocities in Myanmar and the undeniably passive work of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. As Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1991, it was with great anticipation that she began her reign in Myanmar to reverse the British colonialists disruption of peace between the Burmese and minority ethnic groups, however passivity and lack of action over the current ruling Military has angered many. I have read comments from both Burmese individuals and western tourists, who are simultaneously arguing over the 'truth' and biased media depending on the origins of the articles. Much like the 30 year Sri Lankan civil war between the Sinhalese and Tamil Tigers, numerous militant-led advances in the Middle East, and political and turf wars that happen everyday around the world, what many spectators forget, despite these grievances, is that these are LIVING BEINGS who have been physically and mentally injured. In 2016, I worked directly with individuals in Sri Lanka who had been psychologically scarred by their experiences as civilians amongst bloody political conflict. A big challenge for us in country, was to teach others the fact that a lack of physical scars does not mean an individual is unaffected. It might be presented in the media as a great political triumph to blow up a load of gas tankers (see my previous blog post about airstrikes in Syria), or overthrow a band of militants, however as bystanders to these events, I think many people are guilty of forgetting the individual. It pains me to see the persecution of people from such a beautiful country like Myanmar, as it eerily echoes the fleeing of millions of Punjabi's, Kashmiri's and Bengali's to Pakistan and Bangladesh following India's Independence in 1947. I know I have filled this page with uncomfortable reminders, but I think for many that this is perhaps what we need; to recognise that the healing of one person's broken bone, the passing of Hurricane Irma, or the end of long civil war, does not mean that people can go back to their daily lives tomorrow. There are humans and animals on the frontline of all of these stories. Remember, that just because a plaster should only be left on for 3 hours at a time, this does not mean that the wound has healed, or that it won't re-open in the future. I want there to be a positive in all of my words today however, so please be mindful that even though you may not see or be directly involved in a problem, does not mean that it's not there. Smile, look out for each other, and forge your own healing stories :). For more information into the background of the current Rohingya crisis, please read a very short and informative article by the India Times.
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About meI enjoy writing and have had experience from my degree and through working on news posts. I hope to use this blog as a summary of extraordinary things I've discovered or witnessed in everyday life. Archives
March 2020
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