In some previous posts, I have mentioned the idea of shifting the world away from the self-focused and egocentric "me" path, and onto the humanitarian "we" path. However, seeing as how the world is so grand and there are so many different people and perspectives in the world, it raises the question: How can we best help others? How can we help create a more compassionate shift in the world?
During class today, we had a guest speaker come from France named Mr. Choucha. He works with refugees as a social worker and does his best to provide these people with the resources needed to help them live comfortably. I had the chance to discuss some of my ideas with him after the lecture and it really demonstrated that he and I share similar perspectives. Below are some of the ideas that we discussed:
1) When working with others, the age, race, religion, etc. of the person does not matter because all that matters is they are human. We all come from different places and have different experiences and perspectives that make us unique, but when you strip away all of those things, we are all human and everyone should be treated as such, a human.
2) When helping others in difficult situations, the primary focus should not be the administrative work and results, but instead, the focus should be on the individual and helping them feel comfortable.
3) We can never tell someone what to do to make a situation better, all we can do is provide the resources and tools needed to the individual so they can make the change. People are generally not receptive to force, and will often take is as a form of attack. This causes people to close themselves off and focus more on defending themselves, which makes it more difficult to help the client.
4) Nonverbal communication is a huge part of comfortability. By mimicking another's nonverbal communication, body language and temperament, they will be more likely to feel comfortable faster, which will provide you with more opportunities to help them.
5) Eye contact and interaction are key factors of helping others because it is what fosters a connection. There is a huge disconnection between individuals because of the "virtual" or "digital" influence in the world right now. (Ex. when walking on a bus, people rarely acknowledge or interact with the bus driver. They will rush to their sit and be on their phone in the own little world")
6) The United States is very different from the rest of the world in that we are seen as being "imperialists". Everyone else in the world interacts with one another, both culturally and personally because of all of the different types of people and ethnicities in Europe. There are so many cities and countries with different languages, cultures, etc., that everyone there is a lot more open to physical comfort and understanding. However, in the United States, everyone is very isolated and closed off. Houses have multiple walls between each other and even sometimes fences. People do not enjoy physical contact as much, and everyone is focused on themselves and their happiness in this world instead of the happiness of the whole.