25/09/2025
🌏 Holding the Heavy and the Hope
Being human, being social, being a social worker
Sometimes the world feels really heavy. There’s so much misinformation, hostility and anger out there and too often, it leads to blame, shame and the targeting of people, families, cultures and communities.
I don’t believe it’s “left” or “liberal” to value some basic, core human principles:
Respect
Kindness
Fairness
Empathy
Connection
Healthy debate and discussion is good, but only when it’s rational, reasonable and respectful. Lately, I’ve found myself stepping back from social media and losing a little momentum with my own posts. Yet I know these platforms can also be spaces for joy, kindness, accurate information, and advocacy.
This long weekend, I’m taking a step back to switch off a little, which I know is a privilege. I watch balanced news every morning, but I’ll admit it often sits very heavily. As someone who is privileged to be a migrant in Australia, who has called the UK home, and who has loved ones in America and across the world, I feel the weight of what’s happening in so many places.
But here’s what I hold onto: it is not “political” to want unity, equality, kindness, empathy, understanding, and fairness. You can want all of that and also want good process and policy.
I became a social worker because I believe vulnerability is not something to be ashamed of. Hardship and trauma are not things to mock. Receiving support is not a weakness, it’s human. And everyone deserves it.
That’s who I am: a woman, a partner, a daughter, a sister, and a social worker. Someone who stands against hate, who will always respect differing views, but who will always stand for kindness.