Long live the belief in equality!

 From the moment we are born (and way before that as history impacts) we are surrounded by a culture that affects how we see ourselves and others. One of the issues of being born under a monarchy is that from the get-go I have been in a society that believes that some people are more important than others. A certain family, simply through who their parents were, are deemed to rule over me and I am supposed to be subject to them. 

Added to this is a capitalist structure that operates on the assumption that our worth is defined by our productivity. That some people will own the means of production and are encouraged to make profit from that, whilst others will toil and still struggle. This will be accepted as a natural order of things. 

Furthermore there is then this weird lauding of celebrity. Trials/marriages/divorces/clothes etc etc of people who are “famous” will be deemed newsworthy, whilst the experiences of those of us not deemed famous will not. 

I discovered a phrase for this the other day. It is seen as referential power. And I JUST DON’T GET IT. Why would we see someone as more significant than someone else just because of the family they were born into or if they can play football? Maybe this is because in addition to all these cultural messages I’ve been exposed to, I have also been interested in a faith message that says that every single one of us is special. Wonderfully made. Unique. And that there is no person who is any more, or any less important than anyone else. My faith also teaches me that we all need each other. There’s an image given as to how we’re all connected like a body. So just like we can’t all be hearts or ears, we also can’t all be footballers or nurses. We all need each other to use our talents whatever they are. Or to simply be, as it’s not always about the doing (contrary to what a capitalist, ableist society says).

 Instead of privileging some over others, what would our world look like if we celebrated each one for who we are, rather than just celebrate some? What if the birth of every baby was treated with equal airtime? What if there was a 4 day holiday to mark anyone’s 70 years of giving of themselves to others? What if every child as they grew up knew that they were just as important as every other child anywhere in the world, and were no more or no less deserving of attention and respect? That’s the kind of world I’m working towards. 

Bye-bye booby, booby bye-bye

And so a significant chapter comes to an end. 21 years ago I started learning a little about breastfeeding in readiness for becoming a mum. Like lots of new parents, I then found it wasn’t as simple as I’d imagined and was very grateful for some support I received over the phone. That same Breastfeeding Network supporter went on to train me 3 years later to be able to support other new parents. I couldn’t tell you how many, but in 17 years we’re talking many hundreds. 

There is the National Breastfeeding Helpline, where as a volunteer I’d log on whenever I could. Not as often as I’d have liked sometimes, but it has included some Christmas Day calls, some that I’ve caught just before the line shut at 9.30pm, and many where I really felt I made a difference. The last few years we’ve been counting calls, so it’s 373 of those, with who knows how many before. 

My local group moved location a couple of times in those two decades. I made some amazing connections there with other volunteers and with regular attendees, as well as those who just wanted us once. 

I also was grateful to find paid work through the organisation. Several part time roles, in two different local projects, plus coordinating volunteers on the national helpline. Working on a maternity unit; hanging out at antenatal clinics; visiting new mums in their homes at such an important time in their lives; such a privilege to be alongside so many people at such a special but often challenging time. When the projects came to an end, I continued to supervise locally. Many, many friends made along the way. 

And so it’s a big chapter to be turning the page on. I am currently needed elsewhere and so to find the headspace for that, am saying goodbye to this. Maybe it’s not the end. Sometimes in a story a theme comes back in a different way in a new chapter. But I’m leaving the organisation I’ve known nearly half my life (3 years out) so wanted to mark it well :)