We are all, at this time, facing challenges to our personal and professional lives that few could have ever anticipated or prepared for. But it has also been a time when the most powerful things to have emerged is a sense of community and a shared understanding about what we all need to do in the face of the pandemic.
So against that backdrop we are, this month, exploring a book that is a little different. Not directly related to data or privacy, but a book about the power of individuals to effect real and meaningful change.
Ingrid Newkirk is the founder and president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world's largest animal rights organisation.
In this book, she has collected the wisdom, stories and insight of fifty people who have, in some way, changed the world. There is a wonderful diversity of contributor, some of whom are famous household names (Sir Paul McCartney, Kevin Bacon and His Holiness the Dalai Lama to give you a flavour) and some of whom are not. Newkirk brings these people who, on the face of it have little in common, together because there is one important common thread – the fact that they show how simple actions by individuals can have a powerful impact and can lead to real change.
Although at this particular time many people may be feeling a sense of uncertainty and of powerlessness, the way in which our own local community has come together in the face of the crisis has shown us that we can all make a difference by the way we conduct ourselves and the way we treat others.
Those of us working in data protection and beyond, may sometimes feel overwhelmed by the scale and challenge of what lies ahead. We may not be household names, but the principle still stands – your actions matter and you can make a difference.
“I hope this book brings you hope, courage, and inspiration, that it helps you examine your own ability to bash through those brick walls and encourages you to cast aside any doubts, hesitation, or perceived limitations you may be harbouring. May it prove to you that you are bound by nothing at all and that the future, and your life, can be what you make it.” - Ingrid E. Newkirk.
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Indulge