Last updated on 26th May 2025
We met with in the Gallery and saw this video:
a TED talk with Simon Sinek, a motivational speaker (https://www.ted.com/speakers/simon_sinek)
The conversation took place three years ago during the Pandemic. Sinek is concerned with the public mental health:
- After a difficult event, we may all experience a trauma or depression later, the speaker warned about that during the pandemic.
- Friendships which were established before an event, can help during the event, but they cannot be built up in the difficult time.
- People talked to each other more on the phone during the Pandemic, some children (but not all) may have received more attention from their parents due to home office.
His tips:
- Call you friends and, as a boss, your team members, and ask “Are you ok?”
- People who are grieving a loss: “How are you today?”
- If you know that somebody is not ok, don’t pose a question but make a statement “Something is wrong”, “You are not ok” to get them to talk.
What is your WHY in your life?
Are your friends (but not your partner or family members) “What is it you like about me?” “Why are we friends?” They won’t know how to answer (a brain thing); in the end they will describe how they feel in your presence.
The discussion:
The work “friend” has been so abused by Facebook (U: “Foolbook”, “Fluffbook”, “F…book”) that we cannot really use it any more.
Helping others, is the best strategy, to have purpose in life.
Suddenly in the pandemic, people approached others and even strangers, to help them with shopping, and provided disinfectant and home-made masks. The positive side in people showed up. Europeans try to help the Ukraine; many small initiatives send goods, generators and even firemen trucks there.
There is a psychological trait called “inertia bias” that prevents people from helping others, e.g. if someone is attacked on the street, the bystanders do not know how to deal with a new, unexpected event and remain passive. They cannot even bring themselves to call the police. On the internet, abusive behavior is not challenged because they fear the shit storm effect. They are afraid of repercussions. Biases are an important factor, why/when we are blocked to do the right thing.
Some doctors on the Island have forgotten why they went into the profession. They are in for the money, not to help the patients. We, the patients, know whom we are talking about…
