I was in Dohuk in N. Iraq this month visiting our team working among 20,000 Yazidi refugees from the city of Sinjar not far away. The same day I was at the Yazidi refugee camp the town of Sinjar was
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What do social workers, humanitarian aid workers, substance abuse counselors, and palliative care nurses have in common? Well for one, these honorable professionals are particularly vulnerable to 1) burnout, 2) compassion fatigue and 3) secondary traumatic stress. People working in …
It has been fun to see that the international humanitarian sector’s most prominent HR actor, People In Aid has been promoting my doctorate research. Between January and May 2015, People In Aid (now CHS Alliance) have run four articles highlighting …
My mother, Loretta Breslin (20 July, 1921 – 11 December, 2014) was 93 year old when she passed away. She went to bed on 10 Dec not realizing she would be woken the next day by a choir of angels. …
One of the interesting interpretations of the data from my doctorate research was this tree legged stool metaphor. The three legs: 1) relationships, 2) results, and 3) grit represent traits of people who successfully navigate the complexities of international aid …
My Don Quixote notions of masculinity
I was raised on Don Quixote and The Knights of the Round Table as a child. I was encouraged to embrace chivalry as a role model and this has undoubtedly shaped my understand/misunderstand of …
The Parable of the Pear Tree
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look …
BELIEVE IT OR NOT:
In the Autumn of 1621 the Pilgrims held a 3-day festival of thanksgiving. Many would say they had little to give thanks for. Consider the following:
1. The Separatist (as they were called) were compelled to …
A while back I came across an ancient proverb from the Middle East:
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Go to the ant you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise; who, having no guide, overseer or ruler, provides her bread in the summer and gathers
I think the time is long overdue for us to drastically reduce our binary speech patterns…particularly the way we so easily contrast Western and Eastern world views as if they are two major monolithic cultures that stand in sharp contrast …