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Have I lived my life all wrong?
When I was 16, I read Tolstoy’s short story, The Death of Ivan Ilych.
Ivan Ilych grew up in Russia. Like most young men of means, he went to the right school, married the right woman, got the right job, and moved up in the system. But along the way, he followed a traditional path that took him far from his initial idealistic hopes and dreams.
Following an accident that resulted in a chronic injury, he had several weeks to look back on his life. During this process, he came to the sober realization that he had lived his life all wrong. But with death nearly upon him, there was nothing he could do to change this dreadful reality.
This story had a major impact on my life. I often reflected back on it over the years. I had seen people like Ivan Ilych who had reached a particular point in their life when they suddenly woke up, assessed their life, and realized they were unhappy. In some cases, this evolves into what is often called a ‘midlife crisis.’
The reason behind each crisis differs from person to person. Some severely regret not achieving goals related to work, personal growth, artistic and creative accomplishments, or supporting their children. Others feel they could have done more to help others.
Most of us have either experienced this or known someone who has.
When I hit 40, I also experienced this kind of crisis when I came to realize that I was on a wrong path that wasn’t true to my values and doing work I didn’t want to be doing.
I eventually took a risk and took on a new role at the United Nations to focus on fighting human trafficking.
The good news is, that it’s never too late to make changes to make our lives better. We don’t have to feel regret, accept this feeling as inevitable and fail to change our lives.
But for us to make the necessary changes, we must shine a really bright light on ourselves. Not just any light – but one that truly reveals our present truth – our situation, our values, our actions, our behaviors, our hopes, our dreams, and our failures.
In the best of circumstances, at the end of our lives, there should be few regrets and, in particular, we should feel that our life has had meaning and purpose.
To ensure this happens, it’s important that we regularly take stock of our life by asking the questions, “Am I happy, am I doing what I want, am I living my life the way I want?”
The course of our lives is always in our hands. Despite the fact that many of us feel we don’t have choices – we do.
I leave you with this inspiring quote:
‘I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done.’ Lucille Ball
#linkedinforcreators LinkedIn for Creators #modernslavery #humantrafficking #people #growth
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Rotary members aim to root out the global scourge of human trafficking
Combating human trafficking, a scourge which impacts an estimated 40 million people worldwide, is the goal of the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery and several cause-based Rotary clubs.
By Frank Bures
When Dave McCleary first heard about human trafficking, it seemed like something that happened far away, probably overseas. But not in the United States. And certainly not in his hometown.
Then one day he invited a speaker who knew otherwise to talk to his Rotary club in Roswell, Georgia. Her name was Melissa. She was originally from Roswell and had gone to the same high school McCleary’s girls had attended. Melissa dropped out at 16 and was offered a modeling job by a man who turned out to be a sex trafficker. For two years, she was trapped and trafficked in downtown Atlanta before police and a local organization helped her escape.
After the meeting, another Rotarian approached Melissa and gave her a big hug. McCleary asked him how he knew the young woman. He said she used to babysit his kids when she was 12, and he had wondered what had happened to her.
"For me, that was when it became real," says McCleary, who is now chair of the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery. "Now it wasn't someone else's problem. And I remember thinking at the time: Rotary — we're in 200 countries, with 34,000 clubs and 1.2 million Rotarians, and we tackle the tough issues. Why not slavery?"
Since I began posting on LinkedIn, many people have messaged me to say, ‘I really want to do something to help address the human trafficking issue. I want to make a difference.’
They then ask, ‘What are the next steps?’
My response is often: ‘Now that you’ve decided to move forward, accept responsibility, surrender, develop a plan to help and just do it.’
I’d like to share some simple actions. Despite what most people might think, each of these small actions add up:
- Share relevant articles and stories about human trafficking on your social networking platforms
- Send letters to encourage government officials to place priority on identifying and addressing the human trafficking issue in your community
- Write a simple article or opinion piece for the local paper offering your insight about the relevance and importance of this topic
- Continue to learn about the topic and then pass this information on to your friends, co-workers and family through simple discussions
- Make a presentation or show a film on modern slavery at your company, school, club, or another community event
- Be a responsible consumer. Many companies have statements on their websites regarding their anti-human trafficking efforts. Go online and congratulate those that do. If such a statement doesn’t exist, suggest that they add one
- Raise money or donate to an NGO that works on this problem. A small amount of money to the right organization can really make an impact
- Learn the signs of a potential trafficking scenario and report any suspicious observations to the human trafficking hotline number in your area
- Volunteer for a local organization. This can be done by working at an NGO office. If you choose to volunteer from home, you might be asked to do simple Internet searches to collect relevant information.
Depending on your talents and schedule, you could think of other small acts. Many websites offer similar lists that encourage a person to get involved. Googling this can be another effective way to generate ideas. Each action taken out of your comfort zone is heroic.
One way to ensure that you complete the activities you set out to do is to develop a simple plan. I find I’m more likely to achieve results when I make a “to-do list”. There is something about seeing a list in a notebook or on a screen that urges a person to act.
These small, heroic actions can be a great source of personal growth.
I sometimes tell others of my plan and ask them to check in on me to ensure I follow through. These friends keep me accountable. This can also be a two-way arrangement, where both agree to ensure the other achieve their goals.
The world will not heal itself. We all can play a key role in this process of helping those in need. Decide to act, make a plan, and just do it. It’s that simple.
#linkedinforcreators LinkedIn for Creators #humantrafficking #modernslavery #people #volunteering #community #growth #help
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June 1st marks the start of PRIDE month, a celebration of all LGBTQ+ members and their identities. This celebration honors the 1960 Stonewall Uprising and its role as a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the 60s. All across the nation, members of the LGBTQ+ celebrate their identities
The Rotary Club to End Human Trafficking also wants to highlight the overlap between the LGBTQ+ community and human trafficking.
Members of this community, more specifically youth, are disproportionately vulnerable to human traffickers. LGBTQ+ youth are disproportionately more likely to be forced out of their homes and be outcasts of their communities due to their sexuality and gender identities. A lack of funding in homeless shelters and the discrimination of the LGBTQ+ community in some spaces, leave these youth with very few resources and safe spaces. A lack of bed spaces and shelters willing to take them in leaves many to find refuge in the streets. From here this homeless population from this community is incredibly vulnerable to traffickers and sexual exploitation. Reports are that within 48 hours of being on the streets, one in three homeless youth will be recruited by a trafficker into commercial sexual exploitation. The individuals captured by traffickers are victims of physical, mental, and sexual abuse. The abuse coupled with a lack of resources and the stigma surrounding same-sex prostitution leads to a continuous cycle of abuse.
The LGBTQ+ community’s presence in human trafficking is often ignored and shunned from the spotlight. This community relies on specialized outreach and support programs, and they need funding.
The Rotary Club to End Human Trafficking wants to highlight organizations and programs to help LGBTQ+ victims of homelessness and human trafficking:
Stephanie A. Urchick is selected to be the 2024-25 president of Rotary International
Programs of Scale grant-winner Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria helps families by focusing on the fundamental needs of women
Organized around several hubs, the tour started on 17 June to draw attention to the positive impact that clubs have in their communities.
Learn how Rotary clubs are taking action in the United States, Venezuela, Greece, Madagascar, and Kazakhstan.
A young man began to initiate more conversation. He described himself as a 17-year-old boy from Kunming, her hometown. Like her daughter, he appeared shy and reserved at first.
Over time, they began to correspond more and their online relationship grew. Whenever she had free time, she would contact her secret friend. He repeatedly told her how beautiful she was. Within 2 weeks, he said he had fallen in love with her.
She thought the boy was a teenager, but he was actually a middle-aged trafficker. He asked if they could meet for ice cream. When she arrived at the appointed place, the boy seen in the platform photos was there. He was part of the trafficking scheme.
In-person, he seemed less enthusiastic and much different from their chats. But she didn’t care. They were in love! He picked her up from the train station and drove to a small café in the countryside.
Without knowing what happened, she woke up in a hotel room. She had been given a strong sedative that completely knocked her out for hours. The boy revealed explicit photos of them in bed naked. In a menacing tone, he told her that if she didn’t follow his orders, he’d share the photos with her school and her family. He told her she would have to sleep with men now or else.
This tragic scenario happens to many young girls in China and in fact, all over the world. While many of these victims are forced into prostitution to avoid losing face and hurting their families, in this case the girl straight away asked her parents for help and they went to the police.
They managed to identify the ‘boyfriend trafficker’ and the middle-aged man who was propping him up. This young woman was able to get out of this trafficking trap.
What I described is called grooming for sexploitation.