Tag: #compassion

  • Always Learning

    Currently, I am a bit like a fish out of water. Instead of being surrounded by my usual abundance of ocean, I‘m immersed in green, rolling mountains, hills, meadows, forests, and fields. There is the odd lake of course. Nothing better than vibrant greens and blues going together. I had finished my book Paralian hopeful,…

  • The Greatest Sin of All

    Elie Wiesel said in his Nobel Peace Price speech in 1986: “And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are…

  • Masks

    The German tendency to have everything well-organized and structured has irritated me ever since I can remember. To be fair, amazing things come of this kind of ingrained discipline. German craftsmanship, efficiency, and timeliness, for example are indisputably amazing. I see my German roots in my own behavior. Always on time. Perfectionist. Disciplined. Hard working.…

  • A new decade, a new year

    Here we are. A new decade, a new year…  I am finding myself surrounded by the deep blue sea once more. Amazing how life keeps bringing me back to be either on, at, in, or under water. Ultimately, it is where my soul feels the most at home.  2019 was the worst year of my…

  • Nanala

    Last week, a friend of mine introduced me to a refugee from Pakistan (to protect her privacy, let’s call her Nanala). We had an unforgettable dinner together. From the first moment onwards, Nanala struck me as a self-confident, warm-hearted woman. After a while she began sharing parts of her life journey. Eleven years ago, soldiers…

  • Freedom and Independence

    Freedom and independence have always been important to me. These past few years, I’ve been increasingly reminded of their importance because – additionally to my own constant quest – someone close to my heart has been struggling with claiming her independence after having been imprisoned by religious and societal standards for most of her life.…

  • The Jailbreak of Mouse

    The basement was as far away as the darkest corner of the universe. It was a world of nightmares, of prisoners, and hidden dangers. Little five-year old Sam had to take the elevator all the way from the eleventh floor to the second basement level. During the long ride down, he held on to the…

  • The Importance of Kindness

    My latest article for TheatreArtLife. Enjoy 😊 “There aren’t many communities like the entertainment industry, where individuals from multiple backgrounds, languages, and nationalities come together to collaborate intensely in order to deliver a product. Add to this the different mentality and beliefs of each person. And an intimacy backstage which far surpasses any work environment…

  • Paralian – Not Just Transgender

    Flashback to 2016, the year Paralian was first published. Writing this book was one of the best things I’ve ever done, even though letting myself be seen to such an extent was also terrifying. Over the last year, life has been so turbulent, I wasn’t able to focus on anything at all. But, I will…

  • Lost in Space

    I love good storytelling – be it poetry, fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, movies, TV series, visual arts, or any other type of creative expression. For the most part, stories engage me when they are about being human, about compassion and about overcoming our shortcomings and challenges. The other month, I watched the (rather kitschy) new…

  • Whatever

    I continue to be amused as well as annoyed (and sometimes a bit alarmed) by the endless gender bathroom debates. I am female-to-male transgender. When I was four years old, I knew I was a boy. Being born in a girl’s body, my parents kept sending me to bathrooms assigned to female gender even though…

  • A Story of Hope

    Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance #TODR. https://tdor.info Everyone on this list has lost their lives simply for being themselves, for longing to live their lives as who they truly were. In honor of those who have been taken from us so violently, let me share a positive story with you of how it could…