Occupational Therapy and My Reflections
The need to belong and be part of something
gave birth to the “I’. Therefore I needed to belong to a social network, as
human beings are social creatures. I was
a member of the Nelson Multicultural Council and also part of the women’s
group. I found myself immersed in cultural activities not just as an Indian
living in a foreign country but as developing a culture of a group of women
sharing diverse cultural norms, values and beliefs. I felt like a part of a
whole and yet my part was preserved as a whole. This is my unique experience. I
fulfilled both my need for social justice and occupational justice in order to
live a fulfilled meaningful existence, and what better way to do it than be
part of a vibrant, thriving social network of migrant women and people. The
advocacy in this concept favors enablement for life to flow like a river/Kawa
as described by Iwama (2006) in his book “ The Kawa Model”, and the natural
occurrences of life flows on unhindered…………Hence, I can conclude by saying that
“When east Meets West” there is a harmonious symphony, when patience and
practice, benevolence and maleficence, is adapted in our everyday life. When tolerance of Bi-cultural identity and multi-cultural-identity
are nurtured in an equal manner, this will give rise to an inclusive nation. This
reminds me of a poem my grandfather always recited when we were young and was
part of my family culture…..i would like to share with you all.
“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.” Retrieved on 29/07/2012 from: http://allpoetry.com/poem/8516621-Where_The_Mind_Is_Without_Fear-by-Rabindranath_Tagore
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.” Retrieved on 29/07/2012 from: http://allpoetry.com/poem/8516621-Where_The_Mind_Is_Without_Fear-by-Rabindranath_Tagore
I end my blog on a spiritual note as
McColl states in her book Spirituality and Occupational Therapy, “ regardless
of our years of experience, of whether we have faced noxious workplace elements
or whether we feel content and in balance with our workplace, the need to
become intimately in tune with our own meaning and purpose remains paramount.”
……….even the loss of external elements, body-parts, capabilities, abilities,
geographical displacement, sickness and conditions…….we can still explore the
need to reclaim and reframe ourselves through internal strength and
order…………………….so let us strive to do that together both as clients and
therapists!!!
My daughter is 7 years old and
recently she had a little project to do from her girl-guides club…..she had to
walk a mile( not literally) in another’s shoes…… she was all moans and groans on how uncomfortable it was but
also learnt a valuable lesson how it was for others……it held a profound meaning
for me…realizing how it must be for people on the other spectrum of good health
and well- being………..and having personal experience to a degree has been a
valuable and priceless life changing learning for me.
Namaste
