Vol 26: Redemption is always available

In Life, things go wrong.

In Life, when things go wrong, people can falter.

In Life, when things go wrong and people falter, they can feel lost.

In Life, when things go wrong, people falter and feel lost, they can always bounce back.

Second chances are available to those who look for them. The upward curve becomes visible to those looking for it. The stories illustrated below simply prove the inevitable manifestation of this beautiful and redeeming truth.

News from the public domain

Confiding in a crowd

Tenth-grader Elijah, a boy who is feeling suicidal, throws a challenge to the universe. In other words, he challenges his classmates to empathize with him. "I want everybody to stand up. If you really care about me and care about my issues, I want you to stand up."

And his fellow students respond to his call. They stand up. Elijah decides to live on.

The boy is just another recipient of empathy, kindness and love in a school in West Philadelphia that allows children to share their most profound grief with a crowd of fellow students. This most unusual form of “counselling”, if one may call it that, is working wonders. And the premise of this model is simple:

Violence grows out of a sense of isolation. And calm is restored when one belongs meaningfully to a space. That’s the learning in this ecosystem. Those who share their deepest, darkest secrets feel accepted and therefore valued.

Life becomes better. Smiles get broader.

An Eagle named Freedom, a man named Jeff

Man helps broken eagle. Eagle rises from the ashes like a phoenix.

[Same] Man faces his mortality after being told that he is suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Eagle helps him rise from the ashes of his disease like a phoenix.

This video gives but a glimpse at the intense relationship shared between the man and the bird. For more detailed narratives, please search for Freedom and Jeff. You’ll have to piece together the details, but it’s a journey worth undertaking.

A haven for sobriety

People who’ve never been addicted to a chemical substance – be it alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, food etc – often tend to look down upon those who have or have had such an addiction. But truly introspective people will understand this journey if you ask them how difficult it would be to give up their lying/manipulative/judgmental attitudes. After all, don't we all possess these traits in smaller or larger measures? And, well, de-addiction is the act of shedding one way of thinking and embracing another.

This seemingly ordinary journey of a cocaine dealer from substance abuse to sobriety is a clear proof of the infinite capacity of the determined human being. Enjoy it with a tall cool glass of… lemonade.

Do I too solemnly swear?

Ram Subramanian, the man behind the viral Mute video, is back with a bigger bang. This time, he wants to give a collective message to the new leader of the world’s largest democracy. Through this message, he beseeches the powers-that-be to become aware of the commonplace compulsions of the ordinary Indian citizen. This stirring, challenging message ends with an oath. Because oaths aren’t reserved for high offices. Anybody, anywhere can swear to be genuine and true to himself and society.

So moving, this!

Differentiating between Ego and Calling

Ego manages your fragile identity while you figure out who you are. (Wow!)Whereas the primary function of calling is to be a conduit for expressing your true self to the world.

Despite these differing responsibilities, Ego and Calling can often resemble each other. Sometimes, they become miscible ideas that leave you confused. Thankfully, there are huge points of divergence. These will help you understand how to respond to your calling instead of your ego. I especially loved the definition of the term burnout in this context.

And the second definition of Calling bowled me over. Towards the end of the article, Calling is defined as “the place where your deep gladness meets the world's deep need.”

Second chances, anybody? You bet.
Sex workers get a new lease of life

Not many will want to read this story of retired sex workers in Mexico City. But even for the uninterested readers, the pictures in this link tell a thousand stories.

Sex workers lead a surreal life, and what happens once that life ends is anybody's guess. Well, here's a peek at what happens. This is a story that will encourage you to revisit ideas you have about sex workers. In it, you will find women who have, for far too long, been treated as mere bodies… and are now finding ways to become whole human beings again. The past intrudes, but the placid present helps them stay anchored in the space of non-competition.

The desire for redemption, a new lease of life, dots every picture shown to us on this page.

In conclusion

The next volume of Positivity Weekly will be released, NOT NEXT WEEK, but 2 weeks from now. Hence, we tried to ensure that this volume was packed with an extra dollop of goodness. We hope you concur.

Till next time, we hope you get plenty of opportunities to redeem yourselves. :).

To read the previous volume of Positivity Weekly, please click here.
To read the next volume of Positivity Weekly, please click here.

And as always, do write in with story ideas and personal contributions. You can reach us at positivityweekly@gmail.com