A story from our trainer Oriane Boyer:
A few days ago, I went to a peaceful and deeply moving demonstration in France, calling for greater protection of women and children from sexual and sexist violence.
On my way home, around 11pm, I was riding my bike through the small streets of the city when I heard a woman’s voice in the distance.
She was shouting.
I couldn’t make out the words, but something in me immediately wondered:
“Maybe someone is in pain. Maybe someone is being assaulted.”
And I thought:
“If I were in a situation like that, I would really want someone to come and support me.”
At the same time, I was very tired. I wanted to go home, eat something and rest.
And suddenly, an inner voice became very loud :
“You should go and help! Come on! Especially after having been at this demonstration… You’re really not engaged if you go to a demonstration but disappear when it actually happens.”
Ouch. I felt heavy and guilty.
There was a lot of judgment in that voice.
I tried to listen to the judgment: What was this voice actually trying to tell me?
“You really wish to support someone who might be in distress, right?”
“Helping each other feels meaningful to you. Is this the kind of thing that gives you hope and faith these days? Especially when you feel anxious about the political and ecological situation… Is that it?”
Something shifted in me.
I no longer thought, “I should go.”
I wanted to go.
Not because I was supposed to prove something.
Not because I had to be consistent with what I had just demonstrated for.
But because I wanted to create a safe world—for myself and for others—where we hold each other with care.
So I turned my bike around and went towards the voice.
I found the woman and asked: “Is everything alright?”
She looked surprised. “Yes! Everything’s fine!”
It turned out she had been shouting at her dog because she couldn’t find him. And now… the dog was there. 😄
We both laughed.
I explained why I had come over, and she laughed again.
Then she told me that she was actually touched that I had stopped to check on her—that it gave her hope to know that we are there for each other when we really need it.
So actually, I did contribute to a safer world.
Oriane
(in the picture above: Oriane and me teaching together 10 years ago 🙂)
