Hollowed Humans

What's going on behind that smile you show

Is it real or is it hiding something you don't want others to know?

Being eroded from the inside out

Shamed into secrecy when all you want to do is scream, shout

Hollowed Humans switching off to life 

Distracted, desensitised, can't bare to look at life's strife....

Recently, I have had an anger bubbling up inside.... when it initially started to boil, I thought I should push it away. Afraid of anger. Afraid to question.... 

But to be honest the way the world is at the moment, I think it is natural and even important for anger to bubble at times.. Not allowing it to take over and turn to hate or rage but catching it, connecting with it and learning what the emotion is showing me. 

I am finding that anger channeled into certain causes can be fuel for action. 

Inside of my own body, the opposite of anger was becoming apathy. "That's just the way it is" kind of mentality because the surmounting need for change across many of our systems was becoming too much. 

Seeing people being neglected within our healthcare systems.... children being neglected within their educational and familial systems.... community members local and further afield being neglected by government systems....

The most insidious thing about the whole process being that accountability gets so easily slid from person to person with no real consequences occurring except for the very real burdens on those left to carry their own baton in a world that lets their lives slip through the cracks. 

"Indifference is a sign of sickness, sickness of the soul more contagious than any other"
Elie Wiesel

Living in New Zealand, Aotearoa, started me on a journey of learning about land, language and lore. Opening my eyes to how narratives can change over time, from place to place but when looking at the broader picture, history seems to repeat itself as the years go on. 

Since moving back home I have been connecting to the land, language and lore of Éire. And it has shocked me how my own indifference over the years has disconnected me from the very real history of people, places and times gone by.  

Growing up in a country filled with an undercurrent of 'picking a side.' I use to think being neutral was accomodating. That being neutral meant you were being respectful of all. But the more I learn about how the global landscape has got to where it is today and how there are direct parallels with countries from all around the world. I realise how indifference and agreeableness are the necessary ingredients that enable evil to prevail when people do nothing. And on the flip side how much change can happen when grassroots individuals, groups and organisations choose to take a stand for something they believe in. 

"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone"

Sometimes the state of the world gets on top of me. I am genuinely concerned about the trajectory of our humanity the more technology advances. I see so many powerful opportunities within the digital space as well as the need for us to ensure our human skills get kept online. 

The hollowing of humanity is a very real possibility the more we become exposed to negative experiences, the higher the risk of us becoming desensitised to the negative impacts of our systems and the powers that be not being accountable for their actions. 

Last year taught me how easy it is for humans to become comfortably numb, over time normalising smaller events that lead to us distrusting our own judgements and remaining in silence. Turning a blind eye, accepting the bare minimum even when we know something isn't right...

One of my visions for Soshi Emoshi: The Social Emotional Gym is to enable people of all ages to reconnect with themselves and in turn reconnect with others. Apathy happens when we become disconnected and detached from our outer world, leaving us thinking what's the point in even trying or caring? 

In December last year, I got to visit Amsterdam for the first time. Alongside some joyful visits to the beautiful windmills and canals, I had some introspective moments especially visiting the Anne Frank museum. Where it blew my mind the insights that her and her family experience gave. 

It made me realise how the dehumanising of "the other" is a common thread across most of the major clashes and battles throughout human history. 

Basing beliefs and belonging in a common enemy rather than a common cause.

"How wonderful it is that no one has to wait even a minute to start gradually changing the world"

Anne Frank 1944

I started this post talking about anger but I want to end talking about hope. Hope for Humanity. 

Throughout my life I have witnessed and experienced some of the horrors of what selfishness, greed and lies can cause. But I have also met and experienced some of the most beautiful, loving, considerate, dedicated acts of kindness that humans can show to themselves and each other. 

In order for us to keep our humanity online, I believe we need to focus on our brain, our breath and our behaviour. 

Our thoughts create our reality. The stories we tell ourselves become the lens we look at the world through. Sometimes these stories can be true, other times they can just be based on experiences and outdated narratives passed down from generations before us. Soshi Emoshi will explore NLP and other brain based tools to grow our creative, critical thinking muscles. Training our brain to take in different perspectives, holding space for differing points of view instead of blindly believing external sources. 

The world seems to be moving faster and faster. Which can lead to stress, burnout, anxiety and beyond. Soshi Emoshi will be using somatic tools such as Breathwork and Meditation to allow us to weave mini moments of connection into our day. Harnessing the power of our breath to regulate our nervous system, becoming aware of how we can take charge of our own social emotional health.   

Sometimes we can be on autopilot, moving through life with behaviours that were programmed and instilled from a young age. If not kept in check, our emotions can cause us to react to situations, emotionally leaking on to ourselves and others. The more we can check in with our emotions, the more we can bring intentionality to our behaviours. Bringing awareness to how our choices impact our relationships personally and professionally. 

I look forward to exploring brain, breath, behaviour research and resources over the next wee while. Focusing on how this knowledge and skills can have an impact across education, businesses and communities...

Maybe this is my way of grasping at some sort of control within a world that confuses me. Or maybe Soshi Emoshi can start to create ripples alongside other hopeful people and communities looking to make a difference. As Anne Frank says in the quote above... we don't have to wait one minute to start making those ripples....

Let's see where the world takes us tomorrow 🌎