Becoming a Better Person

"Steering towards the pain"— was the pivotal lesson of our training at Kaan Pete Roi. It was in the first day of our training when my journey through a deep sea of pain started and I dived into it to discover the world underneath. My long journey with the organization has been a story of exploring diversity and learning invaluable life skills which has changed me as a human being for good.

As an introvert, I have always considered "listening" as my biggest strength. But, here in KPR, it was more than just listening to others. Before anything else, it was listening to myself as well, recognizing my own woes that I never considered worth sharing before, that has been a burden for years. I began to understand, for the first time, that no pain is small or trivial. Every person has to carry his share of burden of pain and it is completely okay to talk about them.

I learnt that sharing is not a weakness, not a sign of inferiority and, finally, not something one should be ashamed of. Rather, it has a therapeutic effect and can alleviate the initial pain. Thus the skill of lending an ear is the best I can offer anyone in distress.

But "Pain" is not as easy to understand as the word sounds. The variation in pain represents the variation in individuals. You cannot simply accept one's pain without recognizing his/her individuality and uniqueness. Certainly, here lies the challenge for us, the volunteers.

For you to understand "pain" as a whole, you need to expand your capacity of acceptance and take in newer concepts that can cause someone pain. This continuous process of expanding and taking in makes room for people of diversity, their different life experiences and struggles. Thus every pain is given importance, every pain is valued as much as the person is. In this manner, the organization creates a space for all where one can expect acceptance, empathy and warmth. No matter how silly your problem may sound to you, Kaan Pete Roi is always there to listen.

In this era of fast-paced life where we have little time for ourselves let alone for others, Kaan Pete Roi encourages us to slow down a little, and listen. Where listening is for understanding, listening is for healing pain, and listening is for becoming a better person.

Author Infromation

Tasnim Rahman Nira

Student of Clinical Psychology, University of Dhaka