Being a humanitarian does not necessarily involve getting on the next plane to a third world country; there are many ways that you can be a humanitarian in a very local sense. Being a humanitarian means you are working to improve human welfare, regardless of location. Read on for some tips in developing a humanitarian mindset.
Do away with selfishness.
Being a humanitarian is about action, but your intentions matter too. Pursuing work that helps others with the intent of gaining something like recognition or influence isn’t the purpose of being a humanitarian. Instead, look for ways to benefit others without placing an emphasis on what you may get in return. In order to be a capable humanitarian, you need to demonstrate tolerance, cultural understanding and altruism.
Approach humanitarian work with a mindset of giving, helping, and hope to improve the world around you. Don’t focus on what you can gain from your effort, focus on what your community can gain.
Value human welfare
The nature of humanitarian work is to pursue ways to end human suffering in all forms. In order to do so, you must learn to appreciate the value in saving lives, relieving suffering, and helping to maintain human dignity. Try to imagine yourself in the difficult positions of the people you seek to help to better empathise with their situations.
It’s important that you learn to show empathy for all people. Valuing human welfare can help you to overcome the discomfort of helping people in difficult situations and environments.
Free yourself from any prejudices
A humanitarian must value human life in all forms. That means letting go of any prejudices or generalisations you may find yourself making about groups of people. All people, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religion or race deserve to live a life that is free from suffering, and it’s the humanitarian’s job to help make that happen.
It is not uncommon for people to grow up with misconceptions about groups of people they have never met, but you must actively engage and overcome these ideas.
A humanitarian values all human life equally and works to alleviate suffering equally worldwide.
Maintain a professional demeanour
Humanitarians need to carry themselves in a professional manner in the field as well as the office. Each organisation has its own set of guidelines to aid in your understanding of professional behavior, but it is all based in the concept that all humanitarian workers should adhere to common standards in order to maximise their effectiveness in a crisis.
Carrying yourself in a professional manner means maintaining an ethical standard and demonstrating respect for all you encounter.
Being professional also means following the local laws and regulations as well as those enforced by your organisation.
Seek and embrace new experiences and challenges
Humanitarian work can lead you all over the globe and take you on exciting adventures, but it can also present some extremely difficult challenges. In order to be an effective humanitarian, you must seek new ways to solve problems and overcome obstacle and find the value in creating relationships with new people.
Meeting new people and facing new issues can be a way of life for humanitarians.
Embracing the experiences that are inherent to these challenges can help you to overcome them.
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