‘Finding Purpose & Meaning in Times of Hopelessness’- discussed during the International Webinar held on 25 April 2020
Mangaluru: To discuss and understand the importance of the spiritual approach of dealing with distress and despair, Manothejaka organized a webinar on the topic “Finding Purpose in Times of Hopelessness”, on April 25, 2020. The key speakers for the day were Fr Dionysius Vaz, SJ, Rector of the Aloysius institutions, Mangaluru; Fr Jim Corkery, SJ, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome; Yuichi Tsunoda, SJ, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan; Manu Ato-Carrera, SOAS University, London; and Ven. Geshe Lhakdor, Director, Library of Tibetan works and Archives, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.
The webinar commenced with Fr Corkery’s discourse on “Marching with Hope in Times of Crisis”. Hope is elusive in suffering but one can see it in the coming together of people during the crises. Today people are finding new ways of connecting and serving one and another. There is a growing realization through the coronavirus experience worldwide that we cannot as human beings cannot work in isolation, or according to nationalistic, religious or political principles that are based solely on our interest and advantages. We have been living in ways that are disastrous for our shared humanity which seems to have contributed to the situation we face today. He emphasized that in the future, there requires an approach where we work with nature and not against it
Fr Tsunoda addressed the importance of ‘ki’ in ‘kiki’ (crisis) and ‘kikai’ (opportunity) in self-transformation. He spoke about how both crisis and opportunity were related. Crisis is a pivotal point of our life and it gives us an opportunity to transform ourselves and our society. He furthered explained this with examples of how people responded to the wars and disasters in Japan. Such instances brought the people together, they engaged in volunteering, and lived in solidarity, which in turn generated the people’s will power and they transformed themselves and their communities.
Manu Ato-Carrera emphasized the importance of meditation as a means for calmness, an opportunity for introspection, and as a way-out during times of hopelessness. He spoke about our ability to understand the relationship between suffering and happiness, and stressed that finding purpose when a person experiences despair or misery is a possibility since self-reflection allows us access to our thoughts, needs, and desires.
Continuing the discussion on the self, Ven. Lhakdor spoke about drawing inspiration and solace from within to find meaning. He pointed out that our decisions and actions must not be affected by society’s standards and demands, but every person should be their own source of inspiration, joy, and comfort. He also said that one can find meaning or purpose to their own actions or their mere existence, within themselves, which drew attention to the importance of self-care, introspection, meditation, and relaxation of the mind and the body.
The final speaker for the day, Fr. Dionysius Vaz Sj spoke on the topic of living with love, care, and gratitude during Covid-19. He stressed on the importance of discerning and listening to the voice of God amidst conflicting others. From being frightened about contracting the disease to learning to adapt, express and connect with others, we have now moved to the growth phase and are reaching out to those in need. Fr. Vaz pointed out how this period is an opportunity for us to introspect about coexisting with nature and other beings and bring God back to our environment and relationships. Although we have paused physically, we can still be connected with others and ourselves, take out time to reflect on our choices, and reach out to those in need and serve humanity with compassion and empathy.
He also spoke about the initiatives started by St. Aloysius College during the pandemic; which included providing Provision kits for poor student’s families, helping daily wage earners by MJES, spreading awareness on COVID19 to rural areas through Community radio, Manufacturing face masks by ITI and Manothejaka helpline by the Listening and Learning center , Dept of Psychology to reach out to those in distress.
Purpose creates a sense of meaning in our lives. When we have a purpose, it is easier to exercise choice in each moment of our lives. And today more than ever, there is a need to constantly reset our attention on things that matter the most and make choices that are best for us and our fellow beings.
Report submitted by : Dr Shalini Aiyappa, Head, Dept of Psychology, Coordinator of the Listening and Learning Centre, at St Aloysius College, Mangaluru
Watch the following video of the series ‘Conflict Resolution in Families’ by Fr Dionysius Vaz Sj
