If you’re like me, you find your inspiration not from the celebrities and the sport stars; it’s from the real shining stars that are people that run close to us in our social circles.
And when you see these inspiring people you want to ask yourself how can you be an ally?
I’m no expert but in my view here’s my personal suggestions.
Spread the word via social media.
The advantages and disadvantages of social media could be argued until the cows come home but what can’t be denied is the power of it.
By simply reading about the stories of some awesome people who I’m honoured to call a friend, it inspires me to help me in any way that I can. And one of the small ways is by sharing the word on my social medias- I’m no means an influence (urgh how I hate that word!) but I have some awesome people on my pages and if I can get the word out to them, then hopefully they’ll share it to their friends and so on. Why it doesn’t seem like much- knowledge is power and we have an obligation to better ourselves; after all some conditions are so rare that we need to find a way to get the information out so we can find a way for more research and funding.
Listen and support.
I’m no expert but the support and love we give to each other is probably some of the most powerful things we can do as fellow human beings.
I’m honoured to know some of the best people around- hell I can’t even remember how I met them! But this person is such an inspiration and a star, that anytime I see what they’re up to it inspires me to be a better person.
Be supportive and don’t act holier than thou.
Like with anything in life, unwarranted advice does more danger than good. After all unless you’re in the situation yourself you really have no clue on how the person is feeling and while your advice may be well meaning; to the individual you came across as nothing but a know it all.
In this situation just listen, be supportive and empathise; a friendly ear is always appreciative and by simply letting the person know you are there; it is more effective and does a world of good.
It’s a short list really, but to be a good ally you have to be supportive and take your cues from the person/group- the path to hell is often laid with good intentions and in a time like these days, it’s best to take a step back and calm down.