A love letter and lifeline for the world, Part 3

It feels like my veins are being squeezed due to the heartache and heartbreak in the world right now.

Some would call me a snowflake.

As a Canadian, I think that’s pretty cool (pun intended).

I’m happy to be called a snowflake.

In this post, A love letter and lifeline for the world part three,  this snowflake will explain why that’s a fabulous thing and why I’ve been compelled to articulate key, core, human values.

And in the upcoming, final, part four post, I’ll let you in on a very special example of caring and compassion that I was honoured to be part of recently.

Consider it your love letter to and a lifeline for humanity.

But first, if you want to catch up, simply go here:

• Part one: I wrote about how a guy’s legs coming through our home ceiling set the context for a love letter and lifeline for the world by way of lean-ees and lean-ers.  
• Part two: I share examples of when I’ve had to lean and lean hard and the privilege that affords me to be a lean-ee.  

Now back to us snowflakes and five reasons why being a snowflake is a great thing as opposed to the pejorative term it’s usually used as.

“​​Snowflake is a derogatory slang term for a person, implying that they have an inflated sense of uniqueness, an unwarranted sense of entitlement, or are overly emotional, easily offended, and unable to deal with opposing opinions.” Source: Wikipedia

Conversely, why being a snowflake is a badge of honour.  Snowflakes:

Are unique and beautiful. No two are alike.

Are collective. All together, they create a winter wonderland for skiing, tobogganing, or simply a picturesque view.

Are versatile. They melt into water – feeding rivers, lakes, and ultimately oceans.

Insulate and protect.  They’re like a blanket for the earth

Are more than meets the eye.  They are stunningly gorgeous – both up close as individual flakes, and when taken together with other snowflakes. 

Us snowflakes care.  A lot.

Yet caring and empathy have both been weaponized. 

Reading the outrageous lies, misinformation, and disinformation online, I never before felt like I had to articulate what I believe are key, core human values, and why we need to care, and have compassion and empathy.  

Given the rampant spread of cruelty, here goes.

Ten key, core human values that are at risk right now

1. Respect for leaning and being leaned on; every single person no matter their place on their earth, will have times to lean and times to support/be leaned on. The collective, the community, makes us stronger.
2. Acknowledging unearned privilege and the dire choices lack of privilege forces on people.  Lack of privilege and choice causes poverty, violent extremism, gang violence, etc. 
3. Responsibility to offer support. Especially when some of us have so much unearned privilege the responsibility to offer support and compassion is real.
4. Connection.  We as humans are built for connection.  The loneliness epidemic is a result of a lack of connection.  We need to connect and build bridges instead of tearing them down. 
5. Feeling seen, heard, and acknowledged creates psychological safety and that’s good for everyone.  We need to see, hear, and acknowledge folks.

6. Diversity  – of passport countries, cultures, genders, education levels, socioeconomic status, etc, is key for so many things including innovation in health, technology, education, manufacturing, etc. No one voice, no one view is the best.  We need to gather disparate and diverse voices wherever we are.
7. We learn more about ourselves when we learn about others. Increased self-awareness is incredibly important. Self-aware folks are kinder, communicate better and resolve conflict more effectively. 
8. Compassion. A compassionate world builds resilience. It helps us navigate difficult conversations, bounce back from setbacks, and stand up for what’s right.
9. Interdependence is a good thing. It’s unavoidable in our modern world; we all need each other. There is no one culture or people that knows it all and can do it all.
10. Ripple effect. All of these values create a synergy and a ripple effect. 

From one snowflake to another, privilege is a spectrum. Some of us have a ton of it in some areas and not so much in others.

And so is leaning on others and encouraging others to lean on and be supported by us. 

Being a lean-er and a lean-ee is part of the human condition and a human responsibility.

We shouldn’t have to experience something for it to matter.

Let’s just do it, together.  Let’s be courageous, and kind, and compassionate, and lean and be leaned on as the case and cause may be.

Next week, I’ll share a special example of just that.

Now go on and learn, laugh, and lead

Learn

• Think about times when you’ve had to lean on others for help, for support, for assistance.
• And think about times when you’ve been able to offer support and assistance to others.
• Check out some of the resources I’ve bookmarked about the effects of the USAID cuts.

Laugh

• The life of a snowflake.

Lead

• If you’re in the place to do so, if you have the means and the mental health, take the lead and let others lean on you. Now more than ever, we need to support each other.
• If you need to lean on others, please do so without shame.

P.S.

• I’ve tagged this series of blog posts Life Lenses® because ultimately, it’s all about perspective. If you’d like to enrich your perspective please take my free Life Lenses® personality assessment.