This excellent book is subtitled How to be strong and positive in a changing world: it’s a short, practical primer on techniques to raise your personal resilience. William’s books inspire me by their skill in presenting ideas which are potentially complex or strange, in common sense mainstream language. Here, he explores the physiology of resilience, … Read more
One image sums up my time in the Omo Valley: the remote area in south-west Ethiopia where tribal cultures still flourish. I’m attending a wedding in a village several miles down a dusty path, barely usable by vehicles. The woman in front of me has the braided, red-dyed hair typical for women of the Hammar … Read more
For four years the focus of my learning and teaching was resilience. I believe it’s a crucial skill set for all of us in these uncertain times, but I’ve now decided to put another focus beside it: natural happiness. Since 2011, I’ve learned lots about the benefits of resilience, but also the limitations of the … Read more
This is published by Action for Happiness, probably the biggest UK network focussed on happiness. It may be stretching things to call it a book; it’s a 28-page free download from their website, www.actionforhappiness.org. Along with the ten keys, all helpful, the book suggests ways to use them, for example creating a local group, or … Read more
A hand-made easel, a mango tree, and a goat: resilience training in rural Ethiopia: I feel so honoured and touched that this flipchart easel has been hand-made locally for me: square section steel, painted grey, with a big panel of wood bolted to its front. Its two coat hooks just about fit with the brass eyelets on the pad – ironically, made in China.
Handmade easelWhy here? Why me?
This was the title of an enlightening BBC Horizon programme, presented by physicist Helen Czerski and meteorologist John Hammond. It explored the wider reasons for the new challenges in UK weather in recent years, which include more extremes both of prolonged rainfall and very cold winters. Their overall conclusion was that we should expect more … Read more
If you’re wondering what a book on this theme has to do with resilience and wellbeing, read on. The book points out that a new level of snobbery has developed as inequality of various kinds has increased. Class judgements at all levels of society are even more derogatory. And it’s clear that relative position, and … Read more
Comparing the community woodland sector North and South of the border is sad and striking – from down here. Scotland has over 250 community woodlands, with an umbrella organisation, and national government support. In England, there are a diverse scattering of projects, but some of the big ones (such as Avon) have fizzled out as … Read more
Eigg is a small island in the Hebrides: five miles by three, with 100 inhabitants. Try adding to your resilience challenges: harsh climate, high transport costs, poor soil, and … a series of despotic landlords. However the gift was in the problem: the despots provoked Eigg’s people into creating the first community land buyout in … Read more
Learning from extremes: hospices: In my exploration of resilience, I’ve become interested in what we can learn where this quality is tested to an extreme. Death is a pretty severe test of resilience,…