"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”

- Margaret Wheatley.

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Economist Wiliam Davies points out that the term “crisis” derives from the Greek “krisis”, meaning decision or judgment. From this, we also get terms such as critic (someone who judges) and critical condition (a medical state that could go either way). A crisis can conclude well or badly, but the point is that its outcome is fundamentally uncertain. 

 

To experience a crisis is to inhabit a world that is temporarily up for grabs.

 

The decisions we make over the next few weeks will help you in shape just who you are. To quote Michael D Higgins's recent speech, 'Instincts of empathy and caring’ can be rediscovered in crisis. These are traits that many of us neglect but we can take a bold step in deciding to cultivate these.

 

With this in mind, we believe that TY is a perfect time for a you to help others. As anyone who volunteers or who cares for a needy relative knows:

 

helping others, helps you. 

 

It is this action of helping those around you and that will help you strengthen and develop as a GENTLEman​.

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You might even experience “helper’s high” — a feeling of energy, inner warmth and calm created by a release of endorphins in the brain. The phenomenon was first identified by Allan Luks when he surveyed more than a thousand volunteers on the connection between altruism and health.

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Even as a new reality unfolds with physical distancing and our heightened focus on the health of our loved ones, taking simple actions to support the well-being of others and our own mental well-being is more important than ever.

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"It may seem a ridiculous idea but the only way to fight the plague is with decency.”

- Albert Camus