#171 #StandUpForWhatYouBelieve I just finished listening to #Infidel by #Aayan Hirsi Ali. I don’t remember why I chose this audiobook when I was looking for audiobooks in the library. However, I am glad I did. I didn’t go in with any real expectations other than what was on the back cover: “In this memoir, she describes her traditional Muslim upbringing and her evolution as a person, thinker and, freedom fighter. In 2004 she became international news when Theo van Gogh, her partner on the controversial film “Submission”, was assassinated by a Muslim terrorist. Now Hirsi Ali-whose outspoken criticism of Islam has never wavered-lives under armed protection but continues her fight.” Maybe that’s what drew me to her story and this audiobook. She stood up for what she believed in. One of the primary things is #WomensRights and what she believes is the hypocrisy of letting refugees relocate to a country, like The Netherlands, to live a better life, yet illegal activities, e.g. mental and physical abuse of women, were happening in some Muslim communities within the country. I am sure the current situation has improved in The Netherlands and I am sure Aayan was one of the factors there. We may not cause great political change within our countries, but we can still stand up for what we believe. It can be as simple as standing up for others at work when a boss or other managers are mistreating coworkers. It happened to me in a previous position. I was working at a company where foreign workers were being coerced into working long hours and constantly belittled and talked down to. The more unfortunate thing was that this being done by more senior foreign managers. It seemed like other senior managers turned a blind eye and the employees themselves didn’t speak up because they were afraid of losing their visa status. I didn’t like what was happening so I spoke up. Unfortunately, many of the senior managers didn’t like it. Needless to say, I didn’t last very long there. I am still glad I did what I did. #bepositive #traindaily #eatwell #livewell Pic 1: the #audiobook Pic 2, 3: wonderful #vegan #homemade food Continued...