The Holocaust – Being an Outsider

In many cases on the podcasts we look at the idea of “us’ and ‘them’ as in are you one of us or one of them. Often in society we are saying do you belong are you one of us. In this episode we turn it around and look at what happens when we are one of ‘them’ and not one of ‘us’? When you are an outsider standing outside of the group.

To be an outsider usually means that you are different or that you are seen as different. This may be negative in the form of prejudice. Perhaps you are disabled, disfigured, have a speech Impediment, perhaps a relative has just been in prisoned for sexual impropriety or violent assault, something has happened that makes you become excluded from the home group. There are also the issues of race, gender, religion and so on.

It could also be positive exclusion, if such a thing exists. Perhaps you have just won the lotto, been made the manager of the team you worked in for many years, or been the only one in your university cohort to gain a first class honours degree.

To be an outsider you are or have done something different to the group. Now the group no longer identifies with you. You are now the outsider.

Currently the news is full of Palestine people that have been expelled from Gaza. Whatever the politics and what ever the propaganda the message at some level to the people of Gaza is “we do not want you go away. You are not one of ‘us’ you are one of ‘them’. You are outsiders.

The popularised fuel of the whole Brexit debate, that has risen again, was around can we allow these outsiders, these refugees, to become one of us? Will we accept them and allow them in? This then raised the quest, do we want to stay with the group of Europe.

The expressed desire to no longer be one of ‘us’, as part of the European Community and become ‘them’ and find our own route outside of the larger community. We have voted to become outsiders, to be one of ‘them’ and no longer one of ‘us’.

Have you ever felt like an outsider?

As I have travelled I have, on many occasions, been the only white person in the room, or the only Brit or in Wales the only English person. My difference was sometimes seen as a handicap as in ‘you bloody limeys’. The were some time when I was called ‘honky’ or ‘ghost’. On the other side people wanted to speak English with me and practise their use of the language. I also had very blond and very curly hair that people, mainly women, especially in Asia, wanted to touch and feel. I was even asked for a lock a couple of times. I know a man who was the tallest man in the UK for a while. He found that when he visited China, which he had to do as part of his job, it became impossible because the locals want to be photographed standing beside him. When it came to the point where he couldn’t leave his hotel because of the crowds of people were waiting for him to get photographed he decided to call it a day and stopped going there.

Are we all Earthlings

In many ways this weeks topic follows on from previous episodes when we discussed Veganism with Jodie. To be a vegan means to stand outside the normal culture of the country and the economy. At the same time to eat and animal requires that at some levels we see that animal as different or less than our fellow humans. If we see humans as a part or our group then to eat them is unthinkable. If we see animal as a part of our group then to eat them is unthinkable.

I mentioned in that podcast, and put them up as my resources, the films Schindler’s List and The Boy In Striped Pyjamas. Both these films describe what happens when we separate a group and make them outsiders. For the Nazis to treat the Jewish people the way that they did required for them to dehumanise the Jews, to exclude them from the group of humanity and make them outsiders who had no human rights and were treated as they treated their animals. The same thing happened in Africa when untold millions were sold into slavery by Europe and America.

The Trump effect

To create a group there has to be normalised ideas, beliefs and behaviours. This is true of a football crowd, a bunch of girls who regularly go out on the jolly, the Mafia gang, a stamp collecting club, the list becomes endless. Once someone stands up and proposes something, they raise their standard, others will begin to gather around that standard and the new group is formed. Once that group is formed their is an inside and an outside and everyone now has to make a decision, are you in or out. Their will be consequences whichever way you decide to go, that is the nature of life.

The trick is propaganda. How do we get people to join our cause and take on our beliefs? We use the media. Could be fake news could be real news, could be newspapers and television or radio news. It could be social media or even gossip and the rumour mill.

Once someone like Trump plants his flag others with the same views begin to gather around him and the propaganda machine sets off. The more people that gather the greater the power of the group. The greater the power of the group the greater the effect that they can have on the outsiders, us and them. 

The groups that you identify with and belong to will either be positive with outsiders and may, in many ways be looking to a greater understanding between groups. Or, the group that you are associated with are increasing the sense of difference between groups of people and at not looking to empathise or understand. You have a choice and your choices are consequential.

Perhaps inviting someone that you see as an outsider in for tea might help humanise humanity.

Take care and be happy

Sean x

TSHP528: It’s time for a detox

Play

What’s Coming This Episode?

It’s the time of year when Sean gives his system a bit of a flush out! His ’13 Day Detox’ is a routine he’s been doing for years and, with the caveat that you should always seek medical advice before making big changes to your diet.

Enjoy the show, it’s The Self Help Podcast!

Links

Stay in Touch

We’re all over the web, so feel free to stay in touch:

Leave us an Honest Review on iTunes

We’d be amazingly grateful if you could leave us a review on iTunes. It will really help us to build our audience. So, if your like what you hear (and would like to hear more great free content) then visit our iTunes page and leave us an honest review (all feedback gratefully received!).

TSHP527: A chance for a fresh start

Play

What’s Coming This Episode?

It’s a new year which always gives us that precious thing – a chance for a fresh start! Let’s have a chat about goals and starting things afresh.

Enjoy the show, it’s The Self Help Podcast!

Links

Stay in Touch

We’re all over the web, so feel free to stay in touch:

Leave us an Honest Review on iTunes

We’d be amazingly grateful if you could leave us a review on iTunes. It will really help us to build our audience. So, if your like what you hear (and would like to hear more great free content) then visit our iTunes page and leave us an honest review (all feedback gratefully received!).

New Years Resolution’s 2025

“What is not started today is never finished tomorrow.”

According to JW von Goethe if you never start what needs to be one you will never finish if. An evident truth that we often avoid through distraction and displacement.

Happy Covid New Year

However your Christmas has been and however it has been affected you we are now into the New Year. The past is behind us and it is time to move on. It maybe that this is the year that we accept Global warming as a part of our annual life and that we get used to the idea of changing our use of fuel for both transport and house heating. Accepting that there will always be the naysayers and conspiracy theorists who will refuse to believe in global warming hopefully people will comply and hopefully climate change can be held at bay.

Alongside that we have wars and rumours of wars for 2025. Assuming that Russia Ukraine and Israel Palestine remain contained we have prediction by Nostradamus of a main European war in 2025. However…

…let’s move forward positively

What we feed grows and what we starve dies – Let’s feed the positive.

So, looking forward what will you resolve to do, make different or achieve in this magical year of 2025?

New Years resolutions require of us. that we let go of all the emotional baggage that we are carrying from last year that has weighed us down to enable us to move forward into the new year and our new achievements. So, let’s agree to put is all down now and leave it in the past.

Once you decide on your resolutions your goals will become within your reach. In fact deciding what you know where you want to go and what you wish to achieve is the difficult bit. It is crucial to get hoping in the first place. The easiest bit is achieving them. It is a simple process. It just requires commitment and action on your behalf. The following steps might help you on your way…

1: Have clear goals – be sure about what it is that you specifically want to achieve. This is so important. Many people fail to achieve what the want because they are not clear at the outset. This is what we would call ‘the image’.

2: Write it down – when you write something down you are reinforcing your intention to achieve it in your conscious mind. Repetition is very powerful. Every habit that you have ever developed, both positive and negative, are the result of repetition of thoughts and actions.

3: Focus on one thing at a time – don’t allow yourself to become confused and overloaded, or distracted. Many people do not achieve what they really want because they try to do too much at the same time. This dilutes your attention, ability and energy and make you less effective.

4: Pick your tasks logically – make a plan and stick to it. A wonderful phrase is ‘fail to plan and you plan to fail’. It does not take long at all to look at what needs to be done, what steps need to be taken. The steps are your plan. The time that it will take to take the steps is your time line. Once you have an image, a plan and a time line it is time to begin.

5: Ensure that your actions serve you well – Ask your self “What can I do right now that will bring me one step closer to my desired goal?” as often in the day as you can. To effect real and lasting change it needs to be something that you are focussed on.

Everything that you do in a day can take you nearer to your goal. Remember… what you feed grows and what you starve dies.

The more you feed your ideas and images the more successful they will become.

6: Educate yourself – Make sure you develop the knowledge and skills required to complete your goal. On your journey you will become aware of your deficits in skills and knowledge. There will be things that you will need to know. Do not be afraid to ask for help and assistance. There is little point in reinventing the wheel when other people have
been through exactly the same process before you. We can learn from others mistakes.

7: Keep it simple – start with simple tasks, worry about the difficult ones once you have got going. Pace yourself and be kind to your self. If your time line slips don’t beat yourself up just adjust your plan and your time line.

8: Ask advice from and listen to other people – Anything else that you need to know can be learned on the way. Keep talking and keep sharing. Most importantly listen to feed back. Feedback is a priceless gift, use it well.

Start now – don’t leave it until tomorrow

Review and adjust – check if you are making progress? If not review what you are doing and adapt it, change it and move on.

Be persistent and consistent – until the goal is completed. Things are only ever achieved through persistent and consistent action.

Any one can achieve anything if the approach it in the right way and remain persistent and consistent in their efforts.

Happy New Year and enjoy your achievements,
Sean. x