The ‘why’ of Be more giraffe
Be more giraffe was born out of my desire to respond to the ongoing Covid-19 situation and the resulting division and conflict that has proliferated in the past year.
Back in March 2020, when the British government first declared a lockdown and told us all to stay home, there seemed to be a general sense of “we’re all in this together”. Communities rallied round, people supported each other and we felt largely united by this unprecedented state of affairs. Back then, most of us thought it was a short term situation; we were told by our prime minister, “Just two weeks to flatten the curve”.
As time marched on, and the rules and restrictions grew ever more complicated and far-reaching, I started to notice a growing sense of division amongst friends and acquaintances. Opinions about every aspect of the pandemic became increasingly polarised. Two distinct viewpoints emerged: those who had bought into the pandemic situation and thought that it was important to follow the rules and those who were questioning everything.
What struck me in all of this was the overriding sense in each camp that they were right and the other ‘side’ were wrong – and how vehemently these sentiments were being expressed - especially on social media.
It’s this anger and harsh words that have led to so many friends and families falling out over the pandemic. In a time when we really need to be pulling together and coming up with new systems for a world that was already at crisis point, it seems we are tearing each other apart.
When I see this happening around me, I feel incredibly sad. I know, at heart, we all want the same things: to be free, to be healthy, to see our friends and families, to feel safe and loved. We just have different perceptions about how best to achieve this.
Maybe if, instead of judging, blaming and criticising, we open our hearts and truly tried to understand each other’s points of view, we might be able to find a way forward that works for all of us.
Of course, I realise there was already plenty of division and conflict in the world before the arrival of Covid-19. The pandemic has, for me, simply brought it into the spotlight. It’s been my trigger to really stop, take stock of what’s going on in the world around me and to question the human disposition like never before.
Be more giraffe is my way of shining a light on the compassionate nature that I (like Marshall Rosenberg, founder of NVC) believe is at the heart of all human beings.
This is me standing up and (quietly) saying let’s switch our focus away from all that we perceive is wrong with each other and on what we don’t want, and instead let’s focus on what we do want; on the changes we want to see.
Let’s put our energy into creating a better world together: One that values the individual and the whole; where we embrace life and view each other through the lens of compassion rather than judgement.
Sounds unrealistic? Find out more about the vision here.
To learn more on my thoughts about division and conflict, read my blog: Divided we fall.