Editor's note: Columnist Catherine Lafferty is writing a series on the Dene laws. This week's installment is on the second of the nine laws, which is: "Help each other."
One of the most important Dene laws is to help each other. Help the poor, the sick and elders who are in need. Visit them. Give them food. Cook for them. Help them get firewood or whatever needs to be done around the house. When you lose someone in death, go to the family right away. Help out the widow as much as possible and help take care of the orphaned children.
Many of our families still fulfill this law today instinctively. Orphans are often taken under the wing of aunties, uncles and grandparents. Families come together under one roof when someone passes away to be by their side, helping with funeral arrangements, bringing food
for feast and making sure that the bereaved are not alone. These actions often go without saying but the ability to help others can come in many forms.
Help can be as simple as having a friend dig you out of the ditch when your car gets stuck in a snowbank, or it can be something as life changing as giving a kidney to save a life.
Whatever the case may be, we can all do our part and help each other in one way or another, but we need to learn how to set our intentions for helping others without expectations.
The best kind of help is given without expecting something in return. Getting rid of the old,
"What's in it for me?" attitude is important because helping others helps us to check out our own selfishness and greed.
It does not take money to help someone yet lots of people have the misconception that if they are not in a good financial position, they can't help others, but something miraculous happens when someone that can hardly help themselves helps someone less fortunate.
Both the giver and receiver become uplifted and this in turn makes us stronger together. The stronger we are as a community, the more we can continue to help each other.
In general, people are often afraid of rejection, afraid that people will say "no" which is why it is difficult for many people to reach out and ask for help. Asking for help might also make someone feel weak. It is difficult to open up and allow ourselves to be vulnerable but if we don't let those closest to us know what we need, they won't be able to offer help.
This is especially important when it comes to mental health. Often people suffer in silence because they are afraid to reach out for help for fear of judgment. This is why efforts to eliminate the stigma around mental health are so important. Talking openly about our feelings makes it easier to reach out for help when we need it the most. Openness creates an atmosphere for a conversation to take place in a safe space when discussing difficult topics.
In our busy lives, it's hard to make time for the little things, but it's the little things that really matter at the end of the day. Hardly anyone visits anymore, the majority of communication takes place through our phones instead of face-to-face making us forget that we can help each other best by just being there.
Sometimes just knowing that you have people you can rely on if need be can make a world of difference.