Event Date: 3rd July, 2024
After the successful staff session on mental health, we planned the next session to focus on breaking down concepts related to social issues. The session started quite late because everyone is from different work sections with varying duties and some of them were delayed because of work. Attendance was also lower than expected due to sudden work that prevented all probation officers and office staff from attending the session. Nevertheless, we welcomed the staff who had gathered with paper hearts attached with a thread like a garland, which were made by a few boys and Sneha. Soft music was playing in the background as Xavier sir helped us welcome the participants.
In this session, we wanted to emphasize on how our conditioning of society changes our thinking and behaviour. We wanted to throw light on our own conditionings and judgmental views based on our social background, upbringing, media, etc. To demonstrate this, we planned an activity where participants were each given a tag with a character on their back such as a cricketer, gangster, principal, politician, vegetable vendor, etc. These characters ranged from high profile roles to basic jobs that society often considers ‘menial’. Everyone could see others’ tags but not their own. They were given 10 minutes to interact with everyone in a way that would talk to the character assigned to the other person. The condition was that each person should talk with everyone and no one should reveal the character of the other person. As the activity proceeded, everyone communicated with each other based on the characters which was very obvious; like very politely with the school principal, very respectful with the businessman while asking strange questions to gangsters and politicians, etc. They all had a lot of fun during the activity but there was also a sense of unfamiliarity.
We then reflected on this activity and discussed how social status affects our reactions and responses. Interesting responses and experiences came from the participants and our intended essence was conveyed through this activity and the reflection. To provide scientific evidence, we showed a video of the Milgram experiment. Social psychologist Stanley Milgram researched the effect of authority on obedience and concluded that people obey either out of fear or a desire to appear cooperative – even when it goes against their better judgment and desires. Reflecting on this, we asked the staff, “Why do people behave this way? Why aren’t they able to see the human side of the person rather than just their materialistic possessions? If we could remove this kind of thinking barrier from our perspective, it would empower us to support the right things rather than agreeing with what we fundamentally don’t agree with. We would be able to support wise decisions rather than false images. This approach would help create good leaders and ultimately shape our boys into responsible citizens. It would reinforce authenticity over pretense.” All these questions and ideas provoked the staff’s thought process and made them think about these things in the context of the Dongri Children’s Home and their work here.
Overall, when we think about this session, we realize that it is a long process to break people’s conditioning and concepts. Our concepts get strong over time and are overlapped with many layers of thoughts and other preconceived notions. It’s a subtle process and it will take time. We are trying to reach our human mind’s originality. The session did not go the way we planned because of many other factors like less attendance from the staff, some boundaries that we had maintained in activity and time constraints. Actually, we weren’t able to complete the full session,we were just able to complete forty percent of what we had planned. But it helped us to break our concepts too and I told myself, “hey see, it’s not on you. Remember the concept of interdependence and impermanence. Many factors are involved in one task. Focus on trying how we can come together even if we are bound to different paths.” Overall, we realized that this is a long process and we have to keep working very patiently and persistently to see a transformation of any kind. We are grateful and humbled to have this opportunity. 🙏🏼
