Last week, I had two amazing conversations with people who are suffering right here on LinkedIn. My meeting was through Calendly. Serendipitously, you might say. I won’t mention their names for obvious reasons.
They are caught up in the Middle Eastern conflict between Israel and Palestine. One is an Israeli Jew; the other a Palestinian Muslim. Both living in Israel. Yes, I work with people of all religious persuasions and #Faiths.
This is what I learned from the conversations: #LISTEN!!
Be silent – and enter in through active listening.
– Listen to enter the space of suffering – therein is the world of the visceral, the world of in-betweenness. Suffering is spiritual. It is tangible and intangible; visible and invisible; historical and ahistorical!
– Groan – often there are no words to say in reply to existential suffering and pain. Your groaning connects your humanity with their humanity (their suffering, their pain).
– Be near, be present – Find a moment in your heart, where you’ve suffered, where you’ve been in pain. This is an intimately human moment, a human ‘present’, a human connectedness.
– Extend your hand – that’s where the hope resides
– Offer to walk beside (even if as a listener, well-wisher, prayer partner).
– Your presence is a sign of hope – people who look back at their moment of grief, loss and pain tend to take comfort from those who were present, even if they were silent in the shadows.
– Something greater than you is in your presence. That something might be a spiritual source, an ideology, or an ethic. Tap into the Source.
– Privately share what you’ve experienced with a confidanté. This helps you with managing what you’ve taken on and helps you to retain your #humanity.
National Council for Mental Wellbeing, International Institute for Diversity & Cross Cultural Management, MultiFaith Storytelling Institute, Multifaith Alliance , UVic Multifaith Spiritual Care Providers, The Inclusion Initiative, Together Global, Figtree International, Big Education, Benevolent Health, Diversity Network, EAPPI UK & Ireland, Frasers Property Limited, Good Soil Leaders, Integrated Care 24, HFMA Kent, Surrey and Sussex (KSS) branch, KYMIRA, WPG, The Social Innovation Partnership (TSIP), West Berkshire Wellbeing, @Mad World, Psychological Safety Coaches, d&i Leaders (Diversity and Inclusion Leaders), Mindspace