Humankind

Humankind is an initiative of Relationships Australia to provide relationship information, support and resources for people living with chronic illness and their loved ones.

Humankind has been developed by Relationships Australia in partnership with Relationships Australia NSW, Relationships Australia South Australia, Relationships Australia Victoria with assistance through a Health Access Grant from Medtronic.

The story behind ‘Humankind – Living better together’

Human

It is human to experience chronic illness as part of life and this is frequently accompanied by chronic pain. It is natural for humans to want to help each other out when things are not going well even if we can encounter difficulties in the process. As humans we often struggle to understand the feelings of others but there is much we can do to improve this.

+

The + sign is the connector between  Human and Kind. It is a sign that denotes peace and is synonymous with humanitarian first aid movements around the world as well as other health services and projects. The + is silent, therefore it is pronounced Humankind.

Kind

Being kind is the cornerstone to healthy and long lasting relationships. In a relationship where chronic illness is present, the desire to demonstrate kindness may erode over time.  Despite the challenges of living with chronic illness, the aim is to find the space to be kind to one another; to seek to understand the other and to find a shared meaning in the good time and the bad. The message from  Humankind is to be kind to yourself and to others.