Tag: Be Kind

We All Have Brown Skin

Happiness, Health, Relationships, Success

An amazing thing happened to the frogs that live around Chernobyl due to the radiation in the atmosphere following an explosion at a nuclear power plant there in 1986. The frogs that live close to Chernobyl have black skin and as you go further out away from Chernobyl the frog’s skin colour gradually returns to the normal green colour. The reason for this is amazing.

Melanin is the pigment in our skin that makes our skin darker when we get a tan and is more present on people with darker skin. Someone who is black has more than someone who is white. Frogs have melanin in their skin too and it turns out that as well as absorbing UV, melanin also dissipates ionising radiation. Over around 15 generations of natural selection the frogs closer to Chernobyl with darker skin survived and passed on their genes to the next generation to the point where the colour of the frog’s skin relates directly to the distance they are away from the site of the nuclear power plant explosion and the subsequent radiation.

In human beings this is also true of UV light. Closure to the equator people have darker skin and further away from the equator people have lighter skin going back hundreds of generations, because the UV light is stronger at the equator and less strong the further north and south you go. Culture and race are often defined by the colour of someone’s skin because where our ancestors lived effected bother their culture and their skin colour.

The only difference in the skin is the amount of melanin each person has. In everything from the skin to the bones we are all essentially the same. White people are not white and black people are not black, we are all shades of brown. We are all one race, the human race; with different and wonderful cultures and histories. So when you look at someone who is different because of there skin colour, remember the physical difference is only skin deep.

The Benefits of Generosity

Happiness, Health, Leadership, Relationships, The Pathway To Fulfilment

The other day I saw six or seven pigeons surrounding a slice of white bread that someone had left on the floor. They were all eating as much as they could as quickly as they could. Then one of them took a dislike to the pigeon next to it and started chasing it around. Perhaps it felt the other pigeon was eating its bit of bread, who knows, but for a good 30 seconds this pigeon chased the other around. Meanwhile, all of the other pigeons kept on eating. This reminded me of how our lizard brains can do us a disservice in contemporary life.

The lizard brain is in charge of fear, anger, revenge and reproduction. It is the early part of our brains that evolved which kept us safe from saber tooth tigers and from being kicked out of the tribe. It is why we survived as a species in our evolutionary early days. This served us well back then but it can ruin our lives today. It is largely the cause of stress, ill health and broken relationships. Even when we have a good life, objectively speaking, the lizard brain can take us away from the good things we have.

The whole time the pigeon was chasing the other pigeon it was missing out on the food that was lying on the floor ready to be eaten. There was more than enough food to go around, but fear that the other pigeon might eat their food turned to anger, which turned to revenge causing a pigeon chase around a car park.

If the pigeons were able to talk to each other and they had the capacity to have empathy, compassion or generosity, then they could have all happily shared the meal. The stress level would have been lower, and their relationships, pigeon to pigeon, would have been supportive, loving and generous. This is how we live good lives. We have good relationships, we are generous and we share what we have with those who need what we have.

The next time you see a homeless person on the street begging for money don’t automatically think, ‘why should I give them my money, they will only spend it on alcohol.’ Perhaps they haven’t eaten for two days and they need money for food, perhaps they need an extra £1 to pay for a hostel to have a comfy bed and shelter for the night.

They may have slept outside in the cold and rain for a week and are on death’s door and some change from us will save their life. And when you give them some change look them in the eye, smile at them and wish them well, because 95% of people that walked past them that day did not even acknowledge their existence. Be the 5% that cares and see their humanity.

Poem: Unity in a Crisis, Two Sides of Humanity

Poems

I made a mistake, I panicked,
I bought too many, more than I needed,
I raised my voice and was unkind,
I blamed others for our collective situation,
I became divisive and against the ‘other’.

You bought more than you needed,
Because the extra was for your neighbour,
You spoke gentle words full of forgiveness and kindness,
Because that is what is needed,
You took responsibility for those around you, to care for them,
Because this is what leadership looks like,
You spread joy and laughter, inspiration and unity,
Because these are remedies for hurt.

The crisis is a catastrophe, but you were a beacon of hope,
I made it worse, but you forgave me and showed me a better way.

Now I buy for my neighbour, because they need it,
Now I show forgiveness and kindness to others, because we need it,
Now I take responsibility and care for those around me, because it is right,
Now I spread joy and laughter, inspiration and unity, 
Because we are one humanity, we always have been, 
But it took a crisis that shook the world to see it.