Home » Thoughts for the Week » Like all others, like some others, like no other (25 May)

Like all others, like some others, like no other (25 May)

The thought this week has been written by Gale Richards, EBA Regional Minister

Like all others, like some others, like no other… 

“One in four adults feel lonely some or all of the time. There’s no single cause and there’s no one solution. After all, we’re all different! But, the longer we feel lonely, the more we are at risk of mental health problems. Some people are also at higher risk of feeling lonely than others.” – Mental Health Foundation 2022

As I read those words earlier this month that introduced Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 what stood out for me was the phrase ‘we’re all different.’ I wonder if those words stood out for you, too?

They stood out for me because in my experience, many people long to have people in their life they can truly be themselves with.

The challenge of loneliness can thus be one of not just needing to have people around you but having people around you that you can genuinely connect with. This need can often feel most acute when we find ourselves in times of transition in our lives. For example, that might include times such as when we move on from one role to another and or when we move from one neighbourhood to another.

In borrowing the words of Emmanuel Lartey (2003), I have long felt that the more we understand that to ‘some degree all human beings are like all others, like some others, and like no other,’* the better able we are to create the space to be ourselves and help others to be the people God has created them to be too.

I sincerely hope that as we each minister in the different places we find ourselves in that we might find connections to the people, environments and experiences that enable us to both flourish ourselves, and help others flourish too.

* Emmanuel Lartey In living Color: An Intercultural Approach to Pastoral Care and Counselling

Photo by Vonecia Carswell on Unsplash