Written by Nikki Lawson, Earthquake Commission
It’s amazing how fast time goes by in the twenty first century. I often eat lunch at my desk and squeeze in social media time at the very end of the day once emails are replied to, tomorrows kid’s lunchboxes are ready and a meagre third of the ‘to-do’ list completed from this whirlwind. I have some level of plan for the next 2 – 5 years and am diligently focused on it. Then a world-wide pandemic stops me in my tracks, interrupting this well-oiled routine and removing many first world distractions.
With Retreat Three: A Civil Society of The NZ Leadership Programme on the horizon, time stops, and I have time to think. Not think about how to squeeze work around the kids, the big shop or school drop offs and parties. Not think about my career and industry updates as most courses and speakers would have you do. No, this time - to really think. Think about others, think about whether what is happening all around me every day sits well with me.
I enter this arena somewhat embarrassed that this has never fully crossed my mind before. I listen with utter admiration to my cohort that I am surrounded with that clearly have. They share their wisdom, their thoughts and recent actions together with their worries about the risk of returning to ‘normal’ after lockdown. How sad it would be should the machine just pick up again where it left off! After I swallow the self-guilt that I had thought I was in the thick of it during lockdown (and my lack of awareness of many of the issues), I stare at my screen in horror that this could be a reality and feel a sense of rawness I have never felt.
Why is levelling the playing field for every single human being no matter of gender, age, race, religion or sexual orientation not a priority for all of us as humans? How can some have a full trolley and others wonder where the next meal is coming from? Just perhaps as a society we have done what many of us have for some time – ignored our humanity because we made it too hard, or ourselves too busy to fit it in.
The gentle but nauseating undertones of today’s modern society lingers in most places. The unsaid but implied sexist insult of ‘should Daddy drive’ said to the kids with a playful smile as we walk over to the car, the pre-tense of needing to cross the road or glance down at the phone as we walk past the homeless man on the street – it all signifies that there is an unwritten hierarchy. One that we somehow have but only certain few, often unconsciously, benefit from. How do we expel these norms and replace them with deep respect for every single background and story? Can we achieve true diversity of thought where no one is considered the minority or the weak and everyone has their basic human rights fulfilled? Can we breathe other cultures rather than just try to consume them? These questions flood my mind throughout and after this Retreat.
I am processing all the social issues and privilege realisations that landed with me during the Retreat – my mind contemplates these and the link between them. I don’t have an answer. I don’t think I need one right now. But do I want to learn more about this and do what I can to make a difference - now I finally see it.
Did Nikki’s story resonate with you? This is one of many courageous, enriching and impactful journeys on The NZ Leadership Programme.
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