Windflowers: changes

Thursday, 20 February 2020

The piece of bread that transformed two lives - an unsung Maltese hero

Small deeds can lead to big results. Victor Mizzi ran a scout group in Malta in the 1950s. He went on to run his own very successful business, but even when he was helping out with the scouts he showed signs of enterprise and determination. He once contacted Lord Mountbatten, then Admiral of the British Fleet, and arranged for a group of 300 scouts from Malta to travel to the UK by warship. No mean feat to achieve!

He went to school at Jesuit Saint Aloysius College in Birkirkara. He later started his own charter company Belleair holidays in 1974 and was highly successful. In fact, he was so successful that he made enough money to retire before the age of 50. Something I have heard so many dream of doing but never quite manage.

When the Chernobyl disaster happened Victor became aware of the shortages of supplies afflicting hospitals and orphanages in Belarus. 70% of the radiation fallout landed in Belarus and it impacted 2.5 million people with health consequences in an area that was already very depressed economically and suffering from crippling poverty. The result of the radiation was a huge increase in thyroid cancers and many children were born with malformed limbs or even multiple congenital deformities. It is thought that 250,000 children were exposed to varying degrees of radiation in Belarus.

Showing his usual terrier type tenacity Victor Mizzi continued to offer medicine and supplies to as many hospitals and orphanages in Belarus as he could. It was while he was visiting one of the orphanages that an incident happened which changed the course of his life. While in the orphanage a small three-year-old boy called Igor Pavlovetts, who had been born badly deformed, toddled over and offered the Maltese businessman a piece of bread.

It was an unexpected act of kindness that led to a transformation. Victor was so touched by the small child that he arranged for him to be flown to the UK to receive medical treatment. While Igor was in the UK, Victor arranged for him to stay in a foster home. Following extensive physiotherapy and support, Igor grew in confidence and ability.

Mind you, some of the artificial limbs and aids used for the disabled were pretty crude in those days and nothing like the state-of-the-art technology available today. An old film of Igor's life shows his devastation when his "new legs" turned out to be just huge black crude boots with six-inch soles on them. The small child had obviously been expecting more natural-looking and more comfortable legs. But Igor's natural optimism and resilience shine through as he smiles at everyone around him despite his disappointment. Igor went on to have an independent life in the UK and has since married and had three children of his own.

Such an injection of generosity from Victor Mizzi could have ended with this one life being transformed. However, Victor was only getting started. Realising that so many children in Belarus were suffering ill-health as a result of the radiation, he started a scheme to allow Belarus children to travel abroad for 3 to 4 weeks so that their systems could recover in healthier climes. In time he would arrange for 56,000 children to have holidays outside Belarus and their immune systems benefited enormously from these breaks. Such were his powers of persuasion that he even convinced British Airways, Belavia and Ukraine International Airlines to give all the children involved free travel to these destinations. The charity he started so many years ago still runs today and has touched so many young lives.

So often in life, we miss these tiny but significant acts of kindness. Surrounded by the corruption and competition we might not even see the outstretched hand of a small child offering us bread. Even if we noticed it and felt a wave of sympathy for this tiny disabled child how many of us would have just moved on. It took just one man, Victor Mizzi to see the boy, feel compassion and then arise to act, to make all the difference. That one act triggered an avalanche of endeavours that continue to influence children’s health in Belarus to this day.

Victor and Igor in the early years

Victor Mizzi passed away aged 84 in the UK in March 2019 and in the week before his death was visited by a journalist who recalled Victor saying to them “Always help others, when you have a chance.”

"Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity."

Baha’u’llah

Thursday, 16 May 2019

Real Winners Often Mess Everything For Everyone

In this world which has glorified materialism over all other considerations is it not surprising that suicide is growing now approaching 1 million a year. The factors that fuel such a dire loss to the family, friends and wider community may also be perversely contributing to the sixth extinction and environmental damage on a global scale.

At what point do we recognise we are responsible for each other, for every living human on this planet, for the creatures that share it with us and for the priceless legacy that is the planet we all inhabit?

If I can make monstrous amount of money selling drugs ( at huge damage to society), peddling fossil fuels rather than renewables (contributing to global warming), continue to market/make cigarettes or alcohol (with associated deaths and health consequences), expand the gambling industry, increase sex business (Human trafficking earns profits of roughly $150 billion a year[1]) or harvest the remaining forests in the world, destroying the lungs of our planet (Between 1990 and 2016, the world lost forests larger in size to the entire country of South Africa[2]) and polluting our seas[3] then why should these activities ever stop? If making money is the sole pursuit, at whatever cost short or long term, then lets at least be honest about its consequences.

In a world which values winners over principles what sort of society do we end up with? And at what cost are such profits made? I speak not only of the economic injustices but also the precedents that have made these activities the habits even the aspirations of people everywhere. Practices that are copied and cultivated by the new 'would be winners' of each succeeding generation.

We often worry about the local drug dealer in our area with his flashy car and evident ill-gotten gains. In a neighbourhood beset with destitution and unemployment, his example becomes seen as the only surefire route out of poverty. What does it do in terms of peer group pressure? What does it say to our young? However, there are many other drivers of suicide apart from that already mentioned. Some are surprisingly unexpected but may be useful to see this issue more clearly.

Age Effects

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year old’s globally[4]. Is this not shocking and unacceptable in equal measures?

Climate Change – too changeable

Between 2012 and 2015 over 10,000 farmers committed suicide in India[5]. It is speculated that the inability to get the right price, crop failures and insurmountable debt are the factors that drive these extraordinary figures. It is also evident that the increasing frequency[6] of events such as drought and floods exasperate these problems.

Geographical Location – too far north and too sunny

Greenland suffers from the highest suicide rate in the world, indeed twice that of the second highest, Lithuania. Since this rate is somewhat similar to the high rate of suicide in the Inuit in the north of Canada it has been speculated that geographical location may be significant. In particular, being high in the Arctic Circle seems to produce larger numbers of suicides (suicide and Greenland). Perversely, the suicides do not peak in the dark of the Arctic winter, as one might expect, when there is no sunlight for months. Instead, suicides are at their maximum in June when there is no night.

Economic Austerity – the silent killer stealing lives

Mortality increased substantially in Russia after the economic crisis in 1998, with even life expectancy falling to 58.9 years among men and 71.8 years among women by 2001. It is estimated that an extra 2.5-3 million Russian adults died in middle age in the period 1992-2001 than would have been expected based on 1991 mortality[7].

So what can be done?

The truth is that many of these factors mentioned above probably act together in terms of providing the perfect storm that costs lives. In one memorable science fiction film, society could monitor deaths live. There was an instant obvious alarm on a global online screen as one life after another was taken/lost. I would like to speculate if we could all have that information fed back to us on a global basis our priorities would change instantly. If natural feedback on the loss of human life could be given would our real responsibilities be made clearer. If our choices could be coloured by even this basic understanding would it change how we act?

On one depressing level, I think perhaps no. After all, for years, we all have known the health consequences of smoking, overeating etc but our poor habits persist. We know war is an awful business which devastates countries and nations but we find excuses to have them.

But on the other hand, I feel humanity as a whole is noble and there are more good people than bad out there. When there is war or a breakdown in society it is the worst of us that come to the fore not the best. So, when I think of suicide or loss of life I am reminded of all those who love and support others, who work in the fields of sustaining health or who create warm united families and communities. Such environments are safety nets for those of us who experience the perfect storm in our lives. My Dad's favourite comedian was Tony Hancock who took his own life and left this note,

"Things just seemed to go too wrong too many times".

Tony Hancock

The sadness and honesty of that line hurts the heart. But a thought-provoking suicide note was found written by another poor soul which simply said,

“I won’t kill myself. As long as someone smiles at me today.”

So, if you have the energy, do smile at someone today, it could make all the difference. Perhaps, there are four qualities which are lovely to find in people and which enrich lives both in the short term and long term. They may not make you materially better off but they are game changers in their own way.