For the last week I have watched, as countless others have, the scenes which have unfolded across Europe and in Ukraine. Watching in horror as the Russian armies gathered at the border, then in disbelief as President Putin gave the order to commence the invasion of Ukraine.

Ideas matter. The formulation of ideas, the discourse of ideas, the sharing of ideas, and making these ideas a reality matters. Ideas matter precisely because it is in these ideas that we see the course of human history charted for good or ill.

For the last week I have watched, as countless others have, the scenes which have unfolded across Europe and in Ukraine. Watching in horror as the Russian armies gathered at the border, then in disbelief as President Putin gave the order to commence the invasion of Ukraine.

Growing up in my family, my parents raised each of my brother and sisters and I with an openness to healthy debate and discussion. More often than not, this involved Mass together on a Sunday, and when we would come home and enjoy a fry together, we would discuss and at times debate what the priest had said in their sermon that morning.

The last few years have been incredibly turbulent within Northern Ireland, or the north, or simply put, the place we call home. The process and eventual vote in favor of Brexit took divisions that had previously existed and exploited them. Instead of softening old wounds, the process of Brexit used words to rub salt in them and created fear of new ones.

Monday’s news that a man in his twenties had died on our streets again as a result of violence has shocked many people. There has been added shock as the victim was attacked in broad daylight. This man died as a result of a stabbing in the town of Downpatrick.

From the moment we arrive on this earth, somewhere, an unseen timer is turned, and with each drop of sand that falls, counts down to the time when our sand will run out, our life will run its course and we will breathe our last.

From the moment we arrive on this earth, somewhere, an unseen timer is turned, and with each drop of sand that falls, counts down to the time when our sand will run out, our life will run its course and we will breathe our last.

Since taking my first tentative steps into the CDPB Fellowship Programme back in September, I have found myself developing and growing in ways which I had not anticipated; learning and unlearning, challenging, and validating, prejudice and trust. The more I grow, the more I seek to apply new systems into my own life. With every one of these systems that we apply there will be one singular constant: Change. An ironic suggestion, yet there it is - change is the only constant.

"The world needs a mother, and when it finds one it rests at her feet." I have absolutely no idea who spoke these words, but I recall seeing them in a short film some years ago and they stayed with me. I loved the sense of sitting at the feet of your mother, listening to her, and learning from her. It is a dynamic that I have enjoyed with her and other women in my life - be they familial, friendly, or professional. In all my relationships I remain, in many ways, a child at heart - eagerly listening, and always learning.

A prince wanted to find a maiden suitable to be his queen. One day while running an errand in the local village for his father, he passed through the poorest neighbourhood. As he glanced out the windows of the carriage, his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant maiden. During the ensuing days he often passed by the young lady and soon fell in love.

The last few years have been a time of profound learning for me. The more I have become involved in the political realm, whether through work or activism, the more I have found myself asking what are the core tenets to which I adhere. What is my Guiding Star? Over time, reflection, discussion and the many experiences of life I have been drawn to one inexorable principle: nonviolence.

Growing up as an avid reader, an author who left an indelible impression on me was the great JRR Tolkien. So much so that in my penultimate year at school I spent more time reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings than studying - managing to fail an academic subject in the process!