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Existing vs Living • 5 Key Differences

The thought of wasting your life is definitely scary, so it’s important to understand the difference between existing and living. One of the paradoxes of modern life is that as it becomes increasingly easier to fulfil our basic needs, a growing number of people feel their existence is boring, empty, or even depressing.

Existing means living in the past, or in your comfort zone; doing the same things every single day, on autopilot. Conversely, living means being aware of your potential, being curious, and going for the things that truly make you happy. Existence feels empty, while life is filled with enthusiasm and vitality.

Let’s have a look at the five key differences between existing and living. I hope you find these inspiring, and I hope they motivate you to live the best life possible — whatever that means to you. Let’s begin…

1. If you exist, you need distractions. If you live, you avoid them.

In today’s world, anyone can experience an endless stream of distractions. Every day, every hour. Most of us are bombarded with the latest ads and news, use their phone 24/7, and can’t eat food unless they are listening to music or watching videos at the same time.

The issue with that is that a life filled with distractions isn’t really life, but mere existence. Think: if you were truly happy and full of vitality, and if you had a purpose that made you fulfilled (more on this in a minute), would you really feel the need to experience distractions all the time? Or would you avoid them?

Chances are you would avoid them. Those who love life are too busy living it to the fullest to watch TV or check their social media profile non-stop. They value their time, and they don’t need to be distracted because there’s nothing to be distracted from.

2. If you exist, you feel empty. If you live, you have a purpose.

Those who suffer from depression tend to lose interest and pleasure in activities they used to enjoy; in the most severe cases, they may feel worthless, and life itself may appear to be meaningless and empty, to the point where one may consider suicide.

Thankfully, most people don’t suffer from depression (and those who do can be treated). However, if you imagine that existence is like a case of mild, long-term depression, you get a pretty good idea of the difference between living and existing.

Those who live have a purpose, something that makes them happy and fulfilled, something they believe in, and because of that, they are excited to wake up every day (okay, maybe not if they hear the alarm clock at 6am and have to drive to a job they hate; but the thought of living another day still makes them happy, not miserable).

3. If you exist, you’re stuck in the past. If you live, you’re in the here and now.

Breaking news: you are not your past. What you have been through so far, what happened to you up until this moment, does not define you. It’s not you. Each day you have the opportunity to be or become a new person; to paraphrase T. S. Eliot, “every moment is a fresh beginning”.

Way too many of us are stuck in the past, and believe they are destined to be the same person and do the exact same things over and over again. Typically, when that happens, people exist . Conversely, someone who is aware of their potential, and their ability to change, create, and grow, lives .

Those who live still have memories, and are still proud of what they have done in the past (including their mistakes), but are able to forget the past so they can live the present moment freely, and without any attachments to the previous version of themselves.

4. If you exist, you have low energy. If you live, you have high energy.

Different people have different levels of energy, naturally. There is no need to be hyperactive 24/7, and a small dose of laziness is usually healthy. And to be fair, the stresses of the modern world, including work, can make anyone feel exhausted from time to time.

However, in general, someone’s vitality will tell you whether that person is living life, or simply existing. The excitement that comes with enjoying life and having a clear purpose makes it almost impossible for anyone to feel apathetic or passive.

Being enthusiastic gives you more energy, and vice versa, which is why it’s vital that you take care of your overall health as well — sleep deeply every night, improve your diet and don’t overeat, and cultivate healthy habits (both in terms of physical and mental health). Existence is filled with apathy; life is filled with energy and vitality.

5. If you exist, new things scare you. If you live, you embrace them.

Are you terrified of trying out new things? It could be a sign that you are existing, but not living. Stagnation often leads to lack of motivation and loss of interest for life, so to truly live, you must be the kind of person who is curious and embraces change.

Those who exist have become used to being stuck in their comfort zone, and no longer seek excitement. Those who live understand that life is a series of changes, and that there’s always going to be an element of uncertainty in everything they do, but that uncertainty isn’t necessarily a negative thing; it can be used to create motivation.

Although you should be aware of what you dislike and what’s not for you, and avoid that — being open and curious is one of the easiest ways to have an interesting life; being too guarded, on the other hand, prevents you from living life to the fullest. So if you ever realize you’ve been living the same way for too long, ask yourself how you can change, what new things you would like to try, and what would make your life more exciting… and go for it.

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Existing vs. Living

What's the difference.

Existing and living are two different states of being. Existing refers to simply being present or having existence, while living implies actively engaging in life and experiencing it fully. Existing can be seen as a passive state, where one merely exists without actively participating in life's joys and challenges. On the other hand, living involves embracing opportunities, pursuing passions, and making meaningful connections. Existing may be characterized by a sense of monotony and routine, while living is marked by a sense of purpose and fulfillment. Ultimately, living is about making the most of our time on Earth and creating a life that is rich and meaningful.

Further Detail

Introduction.

When discussing the attributes of existing and living, it is important to delve into the nuances that differentiate these two concepts. Existing refers to the mere act of being present or having existence, while living encompasses a more profound experience of actively engaging with life. In this article, we will explore the various attributes of existing and living, highlighting their differences and shedding light on the significance of embracing a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Physical Presence vs. Active Engagement

One of the fundamental distinctions between existing and living lies in the level of engagement with life. Existing primarily focuses on physical presence, where an individual merely occupies space and goes through the motions of daily routines. On the other hand, living entails active engagement with the world around us. It involves embracing experiences, pursuing passions, and seeking personal growth. Living is about making the most of our time on Earth, while existing often leads to a sense of stagnation and unfulfillment.

Mindset and Attitude

The mindset and attitude of individuals who are merely existing versus those who are truly living also differ significantly. Existing often involves a passive approach to life, where individuals may feel trapped in a monotonous routine or lack the motivation to pursue their dreams. In contrast, living requires a proactive mindset and a positive attitude. Those who are truly living approach each day with enthusiasm, embracing challenges as opportunities for growth, and maintaining a sense of gratitude for the present moment.

Embracing Change and Growth

Another attribute that sets existing and living apart is the willingness to embrace change and pursue personal growth. Existing tends to be associated with a resistance to change, as individuals may become complacent or fearful of stepping outside their comfort zones. Living, on the other hand, involves a constant desire for growth and a willingness to adapt to new circumstances. Those who are truly living understand that change is inevitable and view it as an opportunity for self-improvement and expansion.

Passion and Purpose

Living is often characterized by a deep sense of passion and purpose, while existing may lack these driving forces. Passion fuels individuals to pursue their interests wholeheartedly, whether it be in their careers, hobbies, or relationships. It ignites a fire within, propelling individuals to make a meaningful impact on the world around them. Purpose, on the other hand, provides a sense of direction and fulfillment. It gives individuals a reason to wake up each day with a sense of meaning and contributes to a life well-lived.

Connection and Relationships

Living involves fostering meaningful connections and nurturing relationships, whereas existing may lead to a sense of isolation or detachment. Those who are truly living understand the importance of human connection and actively seek out opportunities to build and maintain relationships. They value the support, love, and companionship that relationships bring, recognizing that they contribute to a richer and more fulfilling life. Existing, on the other hand, may involve a lack of effort in cultivating connections, leading to a sense of loneliness and disconnection from others.

Appreciation for the Present Moment

Living encourages individuals to appreciate the present moment and find joy in the simple pleasures of life. It involves being fully present and mindful, savoring each experience and finding beauty in the ordinary. Existing, on the other hand, may involve a lack of awareness or appreciation for the present moment. Individuals who are merely existing may find themselves constantly longing for the future or dwelling on the past, missing out on the richness of the present.

While existing and living may seem similar on the surface, a deeper examination reveals significant differences in mindset, attitude, engagement, and fulfillment. Existing represents a passive state of being, often characterized by stagnation and unfulfillment, while living embodies an active approach to life, embracing change, growth, passion, purpose, connection, and appreciation for the present moment. By understanding these attributes, we can strive to shift from merely existing to truly living, unlocking a life of purpose, joy, and fulfillment.

Comparisons may contain inaccurate information about people, places, or facts. Please report any issues.

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Existing vs Living

Are you living, or are you merely existing?

Think about that for a second…

Do you feel like you’re just getting by or do you feel a sense of freedom, fulfilment and true happiness within life?

Existing is a trap we easily fall into.

It’s what people might label ‘normality’, it’s what we’re fed by society.

As children we’re told to live our dreams and do what makes us happy, but in adulthood we neglect our passions, follow rules and do what we’re told to do.

But how do we know if we’re merely just existing in life?

More importantly, how can we start living?

“He thought he’d lived through everything. Only now did he realize he’d merely existed.” 

The Difference

To live doesn’t mean your alive.

We’re gifted with life, but we often get caught up in false expectations and forget how to live.

Living life is waking up every morning with purpose. Not rolling out of bed because you have too.

Living life is chasing and fulfilling your dreams doing whatever it takes to get them. Not giving up on them because of excuses.

Living life is being grateful for everything you have. Not feeling unworthy and chasing what you haven’t got.

Living life is embracing change and chasing growth. Not buckling to fear and avoiding change.

Living life is embracing every moment as it comes. Not merely breathing and doing the daily chores.

For me it all comes down to control.

How much control do you have on your life as opposed to how much of your life is being controlled?

Controlled by your emotions, by your ego, by your title, by other peoples opinions of you, by fear.

Living is taking life as it comes, embracing it and doing as much as you can to feel fulfilled.

Existing is a long survival.

Living is choosing happiness, it’s choosing to live.

Existing is you being here physically, but doing what you have to do to get through the day.

How To Start Living

It all starts with you.

Shifting from existing to living comes down to control. Taking responsibility for your life, your happiness and your freedom.

Looking at my journey, the shift from existing to living came after tragedy.

Prior to my Dads suicide I was ready to work my way up the corporate ladder. I had an office job, I was considering university, I was willing to stay in a job I didn’t like in the hunt for higher rewards.

Less than two months after my Dad took his own life I’d left my job, I’d started working on an online business and I started to take more control of my life.

Was it easy? Heck no.

But tragedy woke me up, it was the beginning of moving from existing to living.

Steve Jobs used to do something powerful every morning…

He’d wake up, look himself in the mirror and ask: “If I was to die today, would I do what I am about to do?”

But for some it might seem impossible to do what they want to do every single day, but if you’re not happy or excited with life at least 80% of the time, you need to change.

You need to take control.

It won’t be instant, but making steps to create more freedom and fulfilment in your life daily is necessary.

Here’s what else could help…

1. Question Yourself

Don’t be afraid to dig deep, to question yourself and ask why. Inside has all the answers, don’t be afraid of discovering them.

2. Do What You Want To Do

We’re often led by others, and we feel bad for doing what makes us happy. The reality of it is our happiness is dictated by ourselves, so do what you want to do and say no to what you don’t want to do.

3. Stop Escaping

You don’t need a vacation when there’s nothing to escape from. Think about it… why spend 50 weeks of your year hating your job, existing and getting by in return of a 2 week relaxing holiday? It just doesn’t make sense.

4. Find Joys In The Little Things

Being grateful is a powerful skill. Finding joys in the little things you already have will stop you from searching for happiness. You have so much to be grateful for.

5. Don’t Seek Approval

Don’t worry about approval from your boss, your partner, your friends or that girl you’ve just met. Seek approval from yourself. Confidence and happiness comes from within, it’s short lived if it comes from someone else.

6. Fuck it.

Honestly, everything you stress about and dwell on could be managed with a simple fuck it. Embrace change, face fear, and often say fuck it to the things you feel like you shouldn’t do.

7. Find Purpose

A life with no meaning is a life not worth living. Find a reason why you want to wake up every morning. With purpose comes motivation, with meaning comes a reason to live.

Move Forward

Being aware that you’re merely existing in life is the first step to change. Then applying any of the above advice will help you start shifting from existing to living.

But personally I believe it all comes down to control.

Being in control of your day, being in control of your emotions, being in control of your life.

Freedom is what we strive for.

In the book Man’s Search for Meaning Viktor E. Frankl said: “ Everything can be taken from a man by one thing: The last of a humans freedom – To choose ones attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose ones own way.”

Take more control of your life, decide to live.

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A Life Worth Living: Albert Camus on Our Search for Meaning and Why Happiness Is Our Moral Obligation

By maria popova.

In the beautifully titled and beautifully written A Life Worth Living: Albert Camus and the Quest for Meaning ( public library ), historian Robert Zaretsky considers Camus’s lifelong quest to shed light on the absurd condition, his “yearning for a meaning or a unity to our lives,” and its timeless yet increasingly timely legacy:

If the question abides, it is because it is more than a matter of historical or biographical interest. Our pursuit of meaning, and the consequences should we come up empty-handed, are matters of eternal immediacy. […] Camus pursues the perennial prey of philosophy — the questions of who we are, where and whether we can find meaning, and what we can truly know about ourselves and the world — less with the intention of capturing them than continuing the chase.

Reflecting on the parallels between Camus and Montaigne , Zaretsky finds in this ongoing chase one crucial difference of dispositions:

Camus achieves with the Myth what the philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty claimed for Montaigne’s Essays: it places “a consciousness astonished at itself at the core of human existence.” For Camus, however, this astonishment results from our confrontation with a world that refuses to surrender meaning. It occurs when our need for meaning shatters against the indifference, immovable and absolute, of the world. As a result, absurdity is not an autonomous state; it does not exist in the world, but is instead exhaled from the abyss that divides us from a mute world.

Camus himself captured this with extraordinary elegance when he wrote in The Myth of Sisyphus :

This world in itself is not reasonable, that is all that can be said. But what is absurd is the confrontation of this irrational and wild longing for clarity whose call echoes in the human heart. The absurd depends as much on man as on the world. For the moment it is all that links them together.

To discern these echoes amid the silence of the world, Zaretsky suggests, was at the heart of Camus’s tussle with the absurd:

We must not cease in our exploration, Camus affirms, if only to hear more sharply the silence of the world. In effect, silence sounds out when human beings enter the equation. If “silences must make themselves heard,” it is because those who can hear inevitably demand it. And if the silence persists, where are we to find meaning?

This search for meaning was not only the lens through which Camus examined every dimension of life, from the existential to the immediate, but also what he saw as our greatest source of agency. In one particularly prescient diary entry from November of 1940, as WWII was gathering momentum, he writes:

Understand this: we can despair of the meaning of life in general, but not of the particular forms that it takes; we can despair of existence, for we have no power over it, but not of history, where the individual can do everything. It is individuals who are killing us today. Why should not individuals manage to give the world peace? We must simply begin without thinking of such grandiose aims.

For Camus, the question of meaning was closely related to that of happiness — something he explored with great insight in his notebooks . Zaretsky writes:

Camus observed that absurdity might ambush us on a street corner or a sun-blasted beach. But so, too, do beauty and the happiness that attends it. All too often, we know we are happy only when we no longer are.

Perhaps most importantly, Camus issued a clarion call of dissent in a culture that often conflates happiness with laziness and championed the idea that happiness is nothing less than a moral obligation. A few months before his death, Camus appeared on the TV show Gros Plan . Dressed in a trench coat, he flashed his mischievous boyish smile and proclaimed into the camera:

Today, happiness has become an eccentric activity. The proof is that we tend to hide from others when we practice it. As far as I’m concerned, I tend to think that one needs to be strong and happy in order to help those who are unfortunate.

This wasn’t a case of Camus arriving at some mythic epiphany in his old age — the cultivation of happiness and the eradication of its obstacles was his most persistent lens on meaning. More than two decades earlier, he had contemplated “the demand for happiness and the patient quest for it” in his journal, capturing with elegant simplicity the essence of the meaningful life — an ability to live with presence despite the knowledge that we are impermanent :

[We must] be happy with our friends, in harmony with the world, and earn our happiness by following a path which nevertheless leads to death.

But his most piercing point integrates the questions of happiness and meaning into the eternal quest to find ourselves and live our truth:

It is not so easy to become what one is, to rediscover one’s deepest measure.

A Life Worth Living: Albert Camus and the Quest for Meaning comes from Harvard University Press and is a remarkable read in its entirety. Complement it with Camus on happiness, unhappiness, and our self-imposed prisons , then revisit the story of his unlikely and extraordinary friendship with Nobel-winning biologist Jacques Monod.

— Published September 22, 2014 — https://www.themarginalian.org/2014/09/22/a-life-worth-living-albert-camus/ —

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Essay on Life for Students and Children

500+ words essay on life.

First of all, Life refers to an aspect of existence. This aspect processes acts, evaluates, and evolves through growth. Life is what distinguishes humans from inorganic matter. Some individuals certainly enjoy free will in Life. Others like slaves and prisoners don’t have that privilege. However, Life isn’t just about living independently in society. It is certainly much more than that. Hence, quality of Life carries huge importance. Above all, the ultimate purpose should be to live a meaningful life. A meaningful life is one which allows us to connect with our deeper self.

Why is Life Important?

One important aspect of Life is that it keeps going forward. This means nothing is permanent. Hence, there should be a reason to stay in dejection. A happy occasion will come to pass, just like a sad one. Above all, one must be optimistic no matter how bad things get. This is because nothing will stay forever. Every situation, occasion, and event shall pass. This is certainly a beauty of Life.

Many people become very sad because of failures . However, these people certainly fail to see the bright side. The bright side is that there is a reason for every failure. Therefore, every failure teaches us a valuable lesson. This means every failure builds experience. This experience is what improves the skills and efficiency of humans.

Probably a huge number of individuals complain that Life is a pain. Many people believe that the word pain is a synonym for Life. However, it is pain that makes us stronger. Pain is certainly an excellent way of increasing mental resilience. Above all, pain enriches the mind.

The uncertainty of death is what makes life so precious. No one knows the hour of one’s death. This probably is the most important reason to live life to the fullest. Staying in depression or being a workaholic is an utter wastage of Life. One must certainly enjoy the beautiful blessings of Life before death overtakes.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

How to Improve Quality of Life?

Most noteworthy, optimism is the ultimate way of enriching life. Optimism increases job performance, self-confidence, creativity, and skills. An optimistic person certainly can overcome huge hurdles.

Meditation is another useful way of improving Life quality. Meditation probably allows a person to dwell upon his past. This way one can avoid past mistakes. It also gives peace of mind to an individual. Furthermore, meditation reduces stress and tension.

Pursuing a hobby is a perfect way to bring meaning to life. Without a passion or interest, an individual’s life would probably be dull. Following a hobby certainly brings new energy to life. It provides new hope to live and experience Life.

In conclusion, Life is not something that one should take for granted. It’s certainly a shame to see individuals waste away their lives. We should be very thankful for experiencing our lives. Above all, everyone should try to make their life more meaningful.

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Surviving vs. Thriving

Setting an intention for the new decade..

Posted December 16, 2019 | Reviewed by Kaja Perina

As we hurl ourselves into not only a new year but a new decade, there are many resolutions to contemplate—from a health upgrade, to fostering mindful connection with others and ourselves , to asking, WTF am I doing with my life ?

But I’d like to take a step back from all of those worthy goals and think about a bigger question: Are you thriving, or merely surviving?

This is something I’ve thought about regularly this year, and it’s an intention I want to be front and center as I start this new era.

What’s the difference between surviving and thriving?

Surviving is a grim struggle—you’re white-knuckling life, just barely getting by. Thriving is living and thinking abundantly.

Surviving is a drag, a daily slog to stay alive. Thriving is joyful and infectious.

So what keeps us from thriving?

One of my favorite musicals, Once on This Island , features an exhilarating song called “Waiting for Life,” in which the main character, Ti Moune, sings about “waiting for life to begin:”

Oh Gods, oh Gods Are you there? What can I do to get you to look down and give in? Oh Gods, oh Gods Hear my prayer I'm here in the fields with my feet on the ground and my fate in the air Waiting for life to begin

How often is that us? In survival mode, waiting for “real” life to begin?

I’m guilty.

This has been the most challenging year of my life. Most of the time survival has been the name of the game. Long term, that is a soul-sucking, unfulfilling way to operate.

Whatever your circumstances, we all encounter moments like that. Some last longer than we care to admit, and some of us are permanently stuck there. It can feel like we’re drowning—in relationship woes, money issues, health crises, a job slump—sometimes overcome by multiple forces simultaneously. At times like these, simply surviving can seem like a win.

But if I’ve learned anything this year, it’s this: Surviving is not a life I want for myself or those I love.

Let’s be clear: Transitioning from surviving to thriving is a far more challenging resolution than, say, joining a gym or taking a moment to meditate. Particularly in times of darkness and difficulty, we must dig deep to channel abundance—or at least the promise of abundance—and rewire our brains. It often seems impossible. Too hard. We might feel ill-equipped, alone, and afraid.

And yet, the alternative—merely surviving—is depressing as hell. But sometimes it’s not until we’re pushed to the brink that we can truly appreciate the difference.

I’ve tasted a life of survival, and it’s not for me. I refuse to accept that as enough. I hope you will, too.

Simply committing to thriving and leaving behind survival mode is the first and most difficult step. Survival is too often our default; there’s comfort in its familiar discomfort. But thriving is not only circumstantial (“when my life REALLY begins, I’ll thrive!”); it’s a choice.

There is treasure in adversity.

There is hope hidden in despair.

There is flourishing on the horizon. (It just may not look the way we’d imagined.)

Once you reprogram your brain, it’s time to clean up the debris left behind —all the survival mode wreckage: bad relationships, unhealthy habits, a life devoid of intention and purpose.

In other words, shifting from surviving to thriving is a process of rewiring and remodeling the inner and outer landscape of your life.

Unfortunately, merely wishing it would happen (or worse, complaining) won’t get you there. It takes deliberate, consistent action. Consider your mantras, identify what isn’t serving you, and clear the path. So simple, and yet so freaking hard. Fortunately, perfection is not required to reap the rewards.

Since every challenge is better with an anthem to animate and motivate us, here’s one—for you, for me, for all of us, whenever we question how we can possibly shift from surviving to thriving. I’m perpetually amazed at the unforeseen turn even the most dire situation can take. The clarity that emerges; the wisdom and joy gifted . So when in doubt, remember: Mama Will Provide. (Once again, courtesy of Once On This Island . If this song doesn’t make you feel alive, nothing will.)

Walk with me, little girl Don't you be afraid Follow me, little girl Let me be your guide Oh, a pretty thing like you Will need a thing or two And whatever you need Mama will provide

Down the road, little girl You may lose your way All alone in a world that may seem too wide But sit on Mama's lap And I will draw a map And whatever you need Mama will provide

Bugs will bite, little girl And the night will fall All alone in the dark you'll get terrified But you will make it through 'Cause I am liking you And whatever you need Mama will provide

Walk with me, little girl And I'll take you far 'Round each bend, little friend I'll be by your side That's what a Mama's worth To give her child the Earth And whatever you need Mama will... Provide!

Here’s to a new decade of limitless thriving. And remember: Mama’s got you.

Anna Akbari, Ph.D., is a sociologist, writer, and entrepreneur. She is the author of Startup Your Life: Hustle and Hack Your Way To Happiness .

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Living vs Existing. Are you living or just existing?

Are you living or just existing? It’s a question which many people feel compelled to answer.

Because on the one hand, many of us are told growing up that we live in a “free” society. One where everyone can follow their dreams.

But does the way you currently live your life make you feel free? Does it make you feel like you could drop everything right this moment and follow your dreams?

If, for you, the answer is “no”, you might just be existing rather than living…

Living – from childhood to adulthood

Many people don’t even consider the thought that they could be doing something different with their lives until it is too late. Simply existing is an easy enough rut to fall into:

After all, you need to work to eat and have a roof over your head, right? You need to pay those bills. Every part of society seems geared to tell us how important it is that we do what people normally do. But what is “normal”?

Get a job. Work grinding hours. Come home. Maybe get a credit card so we can work more grinding hours to pay it off, working towards those two weeks or so every year when we can put our feet up or indulge in some glorious escapism. How can that be “normal”?

If you have or had a child, you would tell them to do whatever makes them happy. Go! Live your dreams. But as soon as we reach adulthood, we start to lose our joy in the simple act of living.

We start following the “rules”. We start doing what society tells us we “should” be doing.

Now, imagine that child is you. Are you still confident that you are living and not existing?

What does existing mean?

In this context, existing can best be thought of as “living on autopilot”. You simply go through each day after day, following the prescribed path of things you “have” to do without any thought as to your dreams or what you want to do.

For most people who even consider whether they are living or just existing, this means going to a job which they hate – or, at best, tolerate – for around eight hours or more every week day.

You roll out of bed because you have to go to work. You never do anything different, because change is frightening. You do your daily chores instead of thinking about what it is really like to be alive in that moment.

If that sounds like you, you might be at the start of your own battle, pitting existing vs living.

What is the difference between living and existing?

The difference between living and existing is pretty easy to define then:

If you are living – really living – you wake up with a purpose more than “I must pay the bills” each day. You have a dream and, for at least some of the time, you chase it.

If you are alive, you are probably also grateful for what you have. You don’t have to chase money-based dreams of things you want to be able to buy.

Someone who is living isn’t afraid of change. They know that life doesn’t stay the same forever. Things happen.

They live each moment as it happens and are content enough with themselves that they don’t need to be ceaselessly striving for the next promotion, the next pay rise, the next slightly better job which they will still – at best – tolerate.

Existing is just getting the things you need to survive.

How to start living

The overriding factor which often separates someone who is living from someone who is existing is control.

Externally, this means being controlled by society or peers – allowing what other people think of who you are and what you do to influence your actions.

Internally, this means being controlled by your emotions – especially fear – or your ego.

In order to take back control from these external and internal factors, there are several things you can do:

1) Ask yourself “why?”

Why are you doing this? Why are you feeling this way? Be honest with yourself.

2) Learn when to say “no”

Do you really want to go out for drinks to network with colleagues? Would you rather have a night to yourself working on your hobby or dream?

Don’t always do things because you “have” to. Check to see if you want to. Learn when to say “no”.

3) Find what makes you happy

Get to know yourself a little better. What makes you happy?

Even if you don’t know specific activities, remember that you are living and alive and that is a wonderful thing. Learn to find joy in the little things and the things you already have.

4) Get some perspective

It can be hard to know what you need to change from inside the same rut you’ve been existing in. Get away from it all. Don’t holiday for escapism – do it to get some perspective. Think. Consider.

We find that this is one of the reasons why people choose to visit us at the Spirit Vine Center . Ayahuasca has been used for just this reason for centuries. In recent times, numerous well-known people have written about their ayahuasca experiences and how it led them to serious career or life changes. There’s a reason for that.

5) Find a purpose

However you choose to go about getting some perspective, the next step is to find a purpose. A purpose will get you out of bed in the morning better than any alarm clock.

Remember – “getting money to pay the bills” is an existence. It’s not a purpose.

6) Let it go

So many causes of stress and regret could be overcome if we simply let go of what was bothering us.

It’s easier said that done, of course. But if you want to be living rather than just existing, it’s something we all have to face.

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Are You Living Or Existing?

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Contributed by Blake Inscore on Sep 25, 2008 (message contributor)

Scripture: John 17:1

Denomination: Baptist

Summary: Why does it seem that sometime we are just existing instead living for Jesus? That is our theme in this message.

Introduction:

I’d like to begin this morning by asking you a question. Are you living or existing? It seems that many times in our lives we are merely existing instead really living life for what its worth. We get up, go to work or school, or we begin our daily routine, whatever it may be and we simply to through the motions of life. If we would all be completely honest I think we could all say there are times when we don’t really feel that our life has any real purpose. We feel empty inside, and we’re not even really sure why.

Jesus said that he came to give us life, and that the life he gives us is abundant life ( John 10:10 ). Why then are we not experiencing his abundance? Why does it seem that sometime we are just existing instead living for Jesus? That’s what I want us to talk about today…learning live within Christ’s abundance…learning to live like Jesus.

The seventeenth chapter of John contains Jesus’ prayer in the night He was betrayed and arrested. In his prayer Jesus prayed for himself, for his disciples, and for those who would become his disciples in the future.

What I’d like for us to do is to look at those opening words of Jesus’ prayer that we just read together and allow them to be a challenge to us—a challenge to live life to its fullest by living daily for Jesus Christ.

Text: John 17:1

Jesus spoke these things looked up to heaven and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You.”

When Jesus prayed that prayer he was about to come “face to face” with the cross. He was about to make the “promise of prophecy” a “redemptive reality.” Jesus was not simply “going through the motions” he was living life to its fullest and in so doing he was fulfilling his life’s mission.

Let me share with you three qualities of Christ-likeness. Three qualities that I believe can transform our lives from just “existing” to “really living.”

I. We Must Live with a Dependence on the Father

Jesus is our example—he lived with dependence on His Father. As the Son of God he didn’t have to—he chose to out of submission so that he could show us how to submit our lives to God. The first word of his prayer in John 17 is, “Father.” I want to quickly show you from scripture how Jesus placed his dependence on his Father in heaven.

The author of Hebrews tells us:

7During His earthly life, He offered prayers and appeals, with loud cries and tears, to the One who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. ( Hebrews 5:7 )

Early in his ministry we see a pattern of dependence revealed through Jesus’ prayer time with his Father:

35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place. And He was praying there. 36Simon and his companions went searching for Him. 37They found Him and said, “Everyone’s looking for You!”

38And He said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.” ( Mark 1:35-38 )

Notice that Jesus understood that prayer should precede preaching. What is true for preaching is true for anything we do for Christ. Prayer is the place where we acknowledge our dependence on our Heavenly Father.

As more and more people pushed to see Jesus, he realized the importance of drawing his strength from his Father. That is so very clear in Luke 5 :

15But the news about Him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16Yet He often withdrew to deserted places and prayed. ( Luke 5:15-16 )

Throughout his life Jesus showed his dependence on the Father by going to him for strength, for direction, and for approval:

Before he selected the twelve he spent the whole night in prayer

After the feeding of the 5,000 he spent the evening in prayer

Before he raised Lazarus from the dead he went to his Father in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane he prayed “Father, Thy will be done.”

His first words from the cross were, “Father, forgive them,” and his last were, “Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit.”

If Jesus was dependent on His Father while he was here on earth, then we should realize that we must also be dependent on the Father in our daily lives. Jesus’ own testimony provides a wonderful picture of how important being dependent on the Father is. Listen to how The Message paraphrases Jesus words in John 5 —

Related Media

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 10:31 , Hebrews 5:7 , John 10:10 , John 17 , John 17:1 , John 5 , John 5:19 , Luke 5 , Luke 5:15-16 , Mark 1:14-15 , Mark 1:35-38 , Matthew 16:25-26

Sermon Topics: Obedience , Joy

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Beyond Intractability

The Hyper-Polarization Challenge to the Conflict Resolution Field: A Joint BI/CRQ Discussion BI and the Conflict Resolution Quarterly invite you to participate in an online exploration of what those with conflict and peacebuilding expertise can do to help defend liberal democracies and encourage them live up to their ideals.

Follow BI and the Hyper-Polarization Discussion on BI's New Substack Newsletter .

Hyper-Polarization, COVID, Racism, and the Constructive Conflict Initiative Read about (and contribute to) the  Constructive Conflict Initiative  and its associated Blog —our effort to assemble what we collectively know about how to move beyond our hyperpolarized politics and start solving society's problems. 

By Angela Nyawira Khaminwa

Originally published in July 2003, Current Implications added by Heidi Burgess in December, 2019

See also our " Things YOU Can Do To Help" article on Coexistence  and the  Coexistence Infographic .

Current Implications

When Angela wrote this essay in 2003, she and the peace and conflict field were primarily framing "coexistence" in terms of recovery from war or other violent conflict.  Living now in the United States in 2019, it is clear that the same ideas are sorely needed to recover from our largely non-violent, but extremely destructive racial, gender, and political conflicts that are tearing the U.S. (and other developed democracies) apart.   More...

Coexistence is a state in which two or more groups are living together while respecting their differences and resolving their conflicts nonviolently. Although the idea of coexistence is not new, the term came into common usage during the Cold War. The policy of 'peaceful coexistence' was used in the context of U.S. and U.S.S.R. relations. Initially, it was a cover for aggression, but then it developed as a tool for reframing the relationship between the two powers. In the late '80s, the policy of peaceful coexistence included principles such as "nonaggression, respect for sovereignty, national independence, and noninterference in internal affairs."[1]

Coexistence has been defined in numerous ways:

• To exist together (in time or place) and to exist in mutual tolerance .[2]
• To learn to recognize and live with difference.[3]
• To have a relationship between persons or groups in which none of the parties is trying to destroy the other.[4]
• To interact with a commitment to tolerance, mutual respect, and the agreement to settle conflicts without recourse to violence.[5]

At the core of coexistence is the awareness that individuals and groups differ in numerous ways including class, ethnicity, religion, gender, and political inclination. These group identities may be the causes of conflicts, contribute to the causes of conflicts, or may be solidified as conflicts develop and escalate. A policy of coexistence, however, diminishes the likelihood that identity group differences will escalate into a damaging or intractable conflict.

Coexistence and Conflict

Conflict is ubiquitous and occurs at the individual, community, institutional, and national levels. Many conflicts are localized and expressed nonviolently. In fact, conflict can be constructive and in many instances it is fundamental to social change.[6] However, conflict that is widespread and expressed destructively or even violently appears to have increased over recent decades, impelling the global community to examine the root causes of conflicts and analyze conflict theory and management in greater detail. While times of coexistence do not exclude conflict, they do exclude widespread violence and acts intended to psychologically, socially, economically, or politically, destroy the other side(s).

The Coexistence Continuum

Coexistence exists before and after destructive or violent conflict. However, it is not static. Like all social environments, it fluctuates, depending on the level of social interaction. Coexistence exists in situations where individuals and communities actively accept and embrace diversity (active coexistence) and where individuals and communities merely tolerate other groups (passive coexistence). Communities that are not experiencing destructive or violent conflict can be located anywhere within this range.

Passive coexistence. This type of coexistence occurs where relationships are characterized by unequal power relationships , little inter-group contact, and little equity. In short, the principles of social justice are not apparent here. While this type of environment may lack violence, the continuation of unequal relationships is unlikely to lead to the resolution of conflict.[7] Institutions in this environment are not designed to support equality; consequently unjust and oppressive structures can be maintained. These structures often impede community growth, peace processes, and the development of democracy. Yet since inter-group conflict is not widespread, the groups can still be said to coexist without violence.

Active coexistence. In this type of coexistence, relationships are characterized by a recognition and respect for diversity and an active embrace of difference, equal access to resources and opportunities, and equity in all aspects of life. This type of coexistence fosters peace and social cohesion based on justice, equality, inclusion, and equity. In addition, institutions in this environment are designed to ensure fairness.

The Value of Coexistence

Finding peace in the whirlwind of war or non-violent, but highly destructive conflict is a difficult and sometimes impossible task: "... the continuation of killings that accompany wars tends to perpetuate hatreds and stimulate vengefulness, thus fueling the continuation of the conflict. Such emotions not only hinder efforts to settle the conflict, but produce conditions that make the renewal of war more possible."[8]

A state of coexistence provides psychological and physical conditions for individuals, organizations, and/or communities to reduce tensions, and for peacemakers to attempt to resolve the causes of the conflict. This period of nonviolence is especially useful post-war, as it provides an environment in which the causes of conflict can be addressed and peace can be envisioned, negotiated, and achieved. "The onset of a coexistence era allows common interests (such as economic ones) to emerge among the antagonists, giving both parties a strong stake in making the temporary stage a permanent one. It is this ongoing dynamic that ... makes the concept of coexistence a particularly useful one in the resolution of intractable ethnic conflicts."[9]

Coexistence in Many Contexts

While much of the scholarly writing on coexistence has focused mainly on international conflicts, its basic tenets -- recognizing diversity, the worth of the 'Other,' and nonviolence -- are applicable in other contexts. In fact, mediation at all levels (for example, interpersonal, organizational, and community) fosters coexistence as mediators encourage resolution and promote "the parties' mutual recognition of each other as fellow human beings despite their conflict."[10]

Getting to Coexistence

Coexistence work is that which brings individuals, communities, and/or nations away from violence and destructive conflict and towards social cohesion (see table below). This includes efforts that aim to address past wrongs, search for justice and forgiveness, build/rebuild communities, and explore ways for community structures and systems to embody fairness, justice, and equity.

These tools of coexistence are all geared towards preventing, reducing, and eliminating violence and highly destructive conflict in an effort to take societies towards increased integration. In addition to functioning as a framing mechanism, coexistence therefore becomes a term with which different types of peace work can be discussed. This usage implicitly promotes a multi-pronged approach to conflict prevention and resolution, one that looks not at a single field for a solution, but that acknowledges the need for cross-sectoral (such as conflict resolution, economic development, and public health) and multi-level (from grassroots to policy) efforts. This broad and inclusive approach is fundamental in the transition from war to passive coexistence and then to active coexistence, to the development of peace practice, and to the creation of sustainable peace .

As we move further into the 21 st century with an increasingly complex international political system and a multifaceted field of stakeholders, our language and concepts must adapt to the realities of conflict, violence, and combat. Efforts to mainstream the notion of coexistence in both the peacebuilding and conflict-resolution fields and in everyday interaction are a priority.

The opportunity that increased coexistence presents -- a reduction in violence, an active embracing of diversity, and collaboration within and across fields -- is of increasing value and significance worldwide. The promise of coexistence is that it provides a needed pause from violence, and a springboard into stronger, more respectful inter-group relationships.

When Angela wrote this essay in 2003, she and the peace and conflict field were primarily framing "coexistence" in terms of recovery from war or other violent conflict.  Living now in the United States in 2019, it is clear that the same ideas are sorely needed to recover from our largely non-violent, but extremely destructive racial, gender, and political conflicts that are tearing the U.S. (and other developed democracies) apart. For that reason, I have changed the text of Angela's original essay to include the term "destructive conflict" in addition to "violence" in most places where it appears. 

Consider Angela's definitions:

All of these things are absent from the relationship between races in the United States, between the Left and the Right, and to some extent (and with some people) between genders. The result has been unprecedented political polarization and stalemate, the rise of hate speech and crimes, the kidnapping and imprisonment of children on the southern border, the the very real threat that democracy and rule of law is being destroyed.  Clearly, these situations call for the pursuit of coexistence rather than the current into-the-sea framing where both sides are still trying to utterly discredit or even destroy the other. 

The same is true for the many very destructive, but still non-violent conflicts that are raging around the globe:  in the United Kingdom over Brexit, in much of Europe over immigration, EU economic policy and other matters, in China with respect to its treatment of the Uigurs, Tibet, Taiwan, and Hong Kong... All of these conflicts could be improved by fostering an attitude of co-existence and engaging in what Angela calls "co-existence work" to get there.

-- Heidi Burgess. December, 2019.

Back to Essay Top

---------------------------------------------------------

[1] Eugene Weiner, "Coexistence Work: A New Profession." In  The Handbook of Interethnic Coexistence , ed. Eugene Weiner (New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 1998): 13-24. < http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0826411363 >.

[2] The Oxford Dictionary, 1997 ed., Frank R. Abate.

[3] Kumar Rupesinghe, "Coexistence and Transformation in Asia: Some Reflections." In Culture & Identity: Ethnic Coexistence in the Asian Context , ed. Kumar Rupsinghe (Washington, D.C.: The Sasakawa Peace Foundation, 1999): 3-37. < http://books.google.com/books?id=5Kl3HAAACAAJ >.

[4] Louis Kriesberg, "Coexistence and the Reconciliation of Communal Conflicts." In The Handbook of Interethnic Coexistence , ed. Eugene Weiner (New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 1998): 182-198. < http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0826411363 >.

[5] The Coexistence Initiative. Organizational brochure.

[6] Morton Deutsch, The Resolution of Conflict (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1977) < http://books.google.com/books?id=qmGEiPU-O-cC >; Lewis Coser, The Functions of Social Conflict (Glenco: Free Press, 1956/1964) < http://www.amazon.com/Functions-Social-Conflict-Examination-Sociological/dp/002906810 >; Jay Rothman, Resolving Identity-Based Conflict in Nations, Organizations, and Communities (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1997) < http://unitednationstest.beyondintractability.org/bksum/rothman-resolving >.

[7] Touval, op. cit.

[8] Saadia Touval, "Ethical Dilemmas in International Mediation," Negotiation Journal 11:333-38. < http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1571-9979.1995.tb00749.x/abstract >.

[9] Weiner, op. cit.

[10] Robert Baruch-Bush, The Dilemmas of Mediation Practice: A Study of Ethical Dilemmas and Policy Implications. A Report on a Study for The National Institute For Dispute Resolution. NIDR, 1992. < http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/transform/bush.htm >.

[11] Weiner, op. cit.

Use the following to cite this article: Khaminwa, Angela Nyawira. "Coexistence." Beyond Intractability . Eds. Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Information Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: July 2003 < http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/coexistence >.

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In general, people are living longer now. Discuss the causes of this phenomenon. Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

English Writing Practice: Topic 21 – Sample 1

With the development of human society, people are living longer now.  Many factors interacting together to enable the longer life. There are three most important causes: the quality of food has been greatly improved; people could have medical services; more and more people realize that regular sports benefit their health.

The improving quality of our food is the most important factor of the longer life. We could have not only enough food as we want, but also the healthier food. When we preparing food, we no longer consider the cost, but pay more attention to the nutritions of the food. With the development of transportation systems, inland people now could also enjoy seafood and tropical fruit.

Furthermore , governments are paying more and more money on medical establishments. Citizens could have medical services more easily. Because of the convenient medical service more illnesses could be detected at an earlier stage. Also, many illnesses that had been considered fatal could be cured today. The better detection and curement enable people’s longer life.

Last but not least  important is that people care more for their own health. Every morning you could see people doing sports outside. More and more people have realized the saying “life is locomotion”. Regular sports build up a strong body. Naturally, people with stronger body could resist more diseases.

To sum up, the development of our society causes the longer life of people.  People have better food and better medical services. And people spend more time on sports to build up stronger bodies. As we could predict, people are going to live even longer.

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English Writing Practice: Topic 21 – Sample 2

Nowadays, more and more communities for old people are founded everywhere all over the world. When you walk in a department store, you will find that more and more products for old people have been put on the shelves. The population of old people in the world is growing rapidly, and the reason is people are living longer now. There are several explanations for this phenomenon.

First,  under the development of science and technology, it’s obviously the standards of living have been improved a lot. People work less and relax more these days than ten years ago. More entertainment has also been provided, hence people have more chances to entertain and keep a good mood everyday, which is essential for being healthy and living longer.

Moreover,  highly developed health system is another significant factor for people to live for a long time. As the governments put more fund for health expenditure, more people are saved from the torture of illness.

Further more,  the improvement in medicine also plays an important role. There’s an undeniable fact that after people discovered the mysteries of gene, more and more newly developed medicine cured a lot of illness that can’t be cured before.

Besides all these explanations we discussed above, there are also many other reasons. But  the main causes of people’s longer life is the development of science and technology, efficient health system and improvement in medicine.

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• Carers and disability benefits

Disability Benefits system to be overhauled as consultation launched on Personal Independence Payment

Government to reform disability benefits system to ensure they’re targeted at those most in need.

• Consultation to be published today on proposals to move away from fixed cash benefit system towards tailored support
• Comes as over 2.6 million people of working age now receiving  PIP  with monthly new claims almost doubling since 2019

Plans to make the disability benefits system fit for the future and overhaul the “one size fits all” approach are set to be published today (Monday 29 April), following the Prime Minister’s speech which set out the government’s wide-ranging ambitions for welfare reform.   

The Modernising Support Green Paper will explore how our welfare system could be redesigned to ensure people with disabilities and long-term health conditions get the support they need to achieve the best outcomes, with an approach that focuses support on those with the greatest needs and extra costs.

The UK’s health landscape has changed since Personal Independence Payment ( PIP ) was introduced in 2013 with the intention that it would be a more sustainable benefit that would support disabled people to live independently by helping with the extra costs they face. 

However, the caseload and costs are now spiralling. There are now 2.6 million people of working age claiming  PIP  and  DLA  – with 33,000 new awards for  PIP  each month which is more than double the rate before the pandemic. This is expected to cost the taxpayer £28 billion a year by 2028/29 – a 110% increase in spending since 2019.

This is in part fuelled by the rise in people receiving  PIP  for mental health conditions such as mixed anxiety and depressive disorders, with monthly awards doubling from 2,200 to 5,300 a month since 2019. 

Since 2015, the proportion of the caseload receiving the highest rate of PIPhas increased from 25% to 36%. And many more people being awarded PIPnow have mental health conditions than when it was first introduced.  

In line with the wider reforms to ensure the welfare system is fair and compassionate, the Modernising Support Green Paper proposals centre on targeting and improving the support for those who need it most.

These ideas include removing the  PIP  assessment altogether for people with certain long term health conditions or disabilities, including those with terminal illnesses to reduce bureaucracy and make life easier for those most in need of support.

By more accurately targeting support, we will ensure the large scale of government expenditure on  PIP  translates into better outcomes for disabled people and those with health conditions. 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

It’s clear that our disability benefits system isn’t working in the way it was intended, and we’re determined to reform it to ensure it’s sustainable for the future, so we can continue delivering support to those who genuinely need it most.

Today’s Green Paper marks the next chapter of our welfare reforms and is part of our plan to make the benefits system fairer to the taxpayer, better targeted to individual needs and harder to exploit by those who are trying to game the system.

We’re inviting views from across society to ensure everyone has a chance to make their voices heard and shape our welfare reforms.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said:   

We’re making the biggest welfare reforms in a generation – protecting those most in need while supporting thousands into work as we modernise our benefit system to reflect the changing health landscape.

A decade on from the introduction of  PIP , this Green Paper opens the next chapter of reform, enhancing the support for people with health conditions and disabilities while ensuring the system is fair to the taxpayer.

The Green Paper sets out proposals across three key priorities to fundamentally reform the system:

Making changes to the eligibility criteria for  PIP , so it is fairer and better targeted

Through previous consultations, we have been told that the criteria currently used in assessments do not always fully reflect how a disability or health condition impacts on a person’s daily life. The criteria have changed over time and no longer capture these different impacts as originally intended.

We will consider whether the current thresholds for entitlement correctly reflect the need for ongoing financial support. This includes considering if current descriptors - such as the need for aids and appliances - are good indicators of extra costs.

We will also look at changing the qualifying period for  PIP  in order to ensure the impact that people’s conditions will have on them over time is fully understood and consider whether we should change the test used to determine if a condition is likely to continue long-term.

Reforming the  PIP  assessment so that it is more closely linked to a person’s condition and exploring removing assessment entirely for those most in need.

PIP  is over a decade old and a lot has changed since the assessment was developed. We know some people continue to find  PIP  assessments difficult and repetitive, and view the assessment as too subjective.

We will consider whether some people could receive  PIP  without needing an assessment by basing entitlement on specific health conditions or disabilities supported by medical evidence.

This includes looking at whether evidence of a formal diagnosis by a medical expert should be a requirement to be assessed as eligible for  PIP . This will make it easier and quicker for people with severe or terminal conditions to get the vital support they need.

We will explore alternative approaches to ensure people are given the right help to fulfil their potential and live independently. The UK has used a fixed cash transfer system since the 1970s but there are a number of international systems that look at the specific extra costs people have and provide more tailored support instead.

For example, in New Zealand, the amount of Disability Allowance is based on a person’s extra costs which are verified by a health practitioner. Norway’s Basic Benefit requires people to provide a letter from a GP outlining the nature of their condition and the associated extra costs. 

We are considering options including one-off grants to better help people with significant costs such as home adaptations or expensive equipment, as well as giving vouchers to contribute towards specific costs, or reimbursing claimants who provide receipts for purchases of aids, appliances or services.

This reflects the fact that some claimants will have significant extra costs related to their disability, and others will have minimal or specific costs.

While these alternative models help people with the extra costs of their disability or health condition, we know other forms of support including health care, social services care provision and respite are also important to help people to realise their full potential and live independently.

We are also considering whether some people receiving  PIP  who have lower, or no extra costs, may have better outcomes from improved access to treatment and support than from a cash payment.

Andy Cook, Chief Executive of the Centre for Social Justice, said:

Our landmark Two Nations report laid bare the lasting impact of the pandemic on our nation’s most vulnerable communities.

With the welfare system now grappling with the combined challenges of economic inactivity, school absence and mental health, this consultation provides a meaningful opportunity to shape the future of Britain’s welfare state.

We owe it to those most struggling to make sure the benefit system provides the best support to those who need it. And with costs skyrocketing, it is time to bring the welfare system into the post-lockdown age.

The Green Paper is the latest of the government’s welfare reforms to ensure disabled people and people with long-term health conditions can live full and independent lives. It builds on last year’s Health and Disability White Paper and the £2.5 billion Back to Work Plan which will break down barriers to work for over one million people.  

The Government is also delivering the largest expansion in mental health services in a generation, with almost £5 billion of extra funding over the past five years, and a near doubling of mental health training places.

Our reforms to the Work Capability Assessment are expected to reduce the number of people put onto the highest tier of incapacity benefits by 424,000, people who will now receive personalised support to prepare for work, while our Chance to Work Guarantee will mean people can try work without fear of losing their benefits. 

Further Information

• The consultation can be found here: Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paper - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• This consultation will be open for 12 weeks and we are inviting views from across society to ensure everyone has a chance to shape the modernisation of the welfare system. The findings of the consultation, which closes on Tuesday 23 July, will inform future reforms.
• The UK Government is committed to improving the lives of disabled people and people with long-term health conditions in all parts of the UK.
• In Wales, Personal Independence Payment ( PIP ) is the responsibility of the UK Government.
• In Northern Ireland,  PIP  is transferred and is the responsibility of the Department for Communities.
• In Scotland, Adult Disability Payment ( ADP ) has replaced  PIP  and is the responsibility of the Scottish Government. The transfer of existing Scottish  PIP  claimants from  DWP  to Social Security Scotland started in summer 2022 and will continue until 2025.
• We will continue to work with the Devolved Administrations to consider the implications of the proposals in this Green Paper in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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Critic’s Notebook

The Comfortable Problem of Mid TV

It’s got a great cast. It looks cinematic. It’s, um … fine. And it’s everywhere.

Credit... Alex Merto

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By James Poniewozik

• April 27, 2024

A few years ago, “Atlanta” and “PEN15” were teaching TV new tricks.

In “Atlanta,” Donald Glover sketched a funhouse-mirror image of Black experience in America (and outside it), telling stories set in and around the hip-hop business with an unsettling, comic-surreal language. In “PEN15,” Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle created a minutely observed, universal-yet-specific picture of adolescent awkwardness.

In February, Glover and Erskine returned in the action thriller “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” on Amazon Prime Video. It’s … fine? A takeoff on the 2005 film , it updates the story of a married duo of spies by imagining the espionage business as gig work. The stars have chemistry and charisma; the series avails itself of an impressive cast of guest stars and delectable Italian shooting locations. It’s breezy and goes down easy. I watched several episodes on a recent long-haul flight and they helped the hours pass.

But I would never have wasted an episode of “Atlanta” or “PEN15” on in-flight entertainment. The work was too good, the nuances too fine, to lose a line of dialogue to engine noise.

I do not mean to single out Glover and Erskine here. They are not alone — far from it. Keri Russell, a ruthless and complicated Russian spy in “The Americans,” is now in “The Diplomat,” a forgettably fun dramedy. Natasha Lyonne, of the provocative “Orange Is the New Black” and the psychotropic “Russian Doll,” now plays a retro-revamped Columbo figure in “Poker Face.” Idris Elba, once the macroeconomics-student gangster Stringer Bell in “The Wire,” more recently starred in “Hijack,” a by-the-numbers airplane thriller.

I’ve watched all of these shows. They’re not bad. They’re simply … mid. Which is what makes them, frustratingly, as emblematic of the current moment in TV as their stars’ previous shows were of the ambitions of the past.

What we have now is a profusion of well-cast, sleekly produced competence. We have tasteful remakes of familiar titles. We have the evidence of healthy budgets spent on impressive locations. We have good-enough new shows that resemble great old ones.

We have entered the golden age of Mid TV.

LET ME SAY UP FRONT: This is not an essay about how bad TV is today. Just the opposite. There is little truly bad high-profile television made anymore. As I wrote last year , these days it takes a special confluence of celebrity pull and network resources to make a dud like HBO’s “The Idol.” When we encounter a majestic prize turkey like this in the wild, we almost don’t know what to think. Who did this? How did this get past quality control?

What we have today instead is something less awful but in a way more sad: The willingness to retreat, to settle, to trade the ambitious for the dependable.

People who grew up in the three-broadcast-network era — we knew from bad TV. We watched it and sometimes even loved it. (ABC’s 1977 comedy “The San Pedro Beach Bums” was one of TV’s biggest punchlines, and its cancellation was one of the first heartbreaks of my young life.) But the rise of cable transformed both the business and the art of television, as the likes of HBO, FX and AMC took risks and offered creators freedom in order to stand out.

It worked — so well, in fact, that eventually the truism that TV was garbage was replaced by the truism that TV was the new literature, or cinema, or maybe even religion. A New York Times critic heralded “The Sopranos” as possibly the greatest work of pop culture in a quarter century. “Deadwood” was likened to Shakespeare, “The Wire” to Dickens, “Mad Men” to Cheever. People deconstructed “Lost” and argued over “Girls.” TV’s auteurs bestrode the cultural conversation like the easy riders and raging bulls of film in the 1970s.

For a good two decades now, it’s been bien-pensant wisdom that TV could be good — no, not just good. Original. Provocative. Important.

TV was so highly acclaimed for so long that we were like the frog in boiling water, but in reverse. The medium became lukewarm so gradually that you might not even have noticed.

The streaming era at first promised more innovation, supercharged and superfunded, and for a while that’s what we got. Eager to establish a catalog of original programming, Netflix underwrote experiments like “Orange Is the New Black,” “BoJack Horseman” and “Sense8.” Not everything worked, and what did work could be inconsistent, but there was a sense of opportunity and possibility.

But another thing happened as well. The conferral of status (and money) on TV meant that there was a lot more talent available. Doing TV was no longer a demotion, and you could buy an instant sense of importance by hiring stars. Netflix’s early hit “House of Cards” was a harbinger, a pot of boiling ham given the aura of prestige with the casting of a pre-scandal Kevin Spacey.

Also, more streamers — Netflix was joined by Amazon, Hulu and sundry Maxes and Pluses — simply meant more TV. More TV was better in some ways: It meant room for new voices and untold stories, more dice to roll. But it also created a sense of overload. In a seemingly infinite sea of story, how would viewers find shows, and shows get found?

More and more often, they’d get found through the algorithm, whose purpose is to serve up new versions of the last thing you watched. Increasingly, the best way to get noticed was with something people already recognized: A familiar title, formula or franchise.

Disney+’s Marvel Cinematic Universe series are too polished to be awful or tacky — just compare them to the threadbare comic-book dramas of the ’70s and ’80s — but they are too bound by the rules and needs of the larger megaproperty to take creative leaps. (It’s noteworthy that the first of these series, “WandaVision,” remains the one significant exception.) Meanwhile, Netflix’s “Ozark” showed that you could ask, “What if ChatGPT rewrote ‘Breaking Bad’?” and enough people would embrace the result as if it were “Breaking Bad.”

Put these two forces together — a rising level of talent and production competence on the one hand, the pressure to deliver versions of something viewers already like on the other hand — and what do you get? You get a whole lot of Mid.

MID IS NOT the mediocre TV of the past. It’s more upscale. It is the aesthetic equivalent of an Airbnb “modern farmhouse” renovation, or the identical hipster cafe found in medium-sized cities all over the planet. It’s nice! The furniture is tasteful, they’re playing Khruangbin on the speakers, the shade-grown coffee is an improvement on the steaming mug of motor oil you’d have settled for a few decades ago.

If comparing TV to fast-casual dining is an insulting analogy, in my defense I only borrowed it. A New Yorker profile last year quoted a Netflix executive describing the platform’s ideal show as a “gourmet cheeseburger.”

I’m not going to lie, I enjoy a gourmet cheeseburger. Caramelize some onions, lay on a slice of artisanal American cheese and I’m happy. But at heart, the sales pitch for that cheeseburger is no different from that for a Big Mac: You know what you’re going to get.

And it’s not only Netflix plating this up. Look at the star-packed algorithm bait we’ve seen over the past year or so. There’s “Masters of the Air,” a well-credentialed, superfluous expansion to the World War II-verse of “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific.” (Liked those? Watch this next!) “Apples Never Fall,” a room-temperature adaptation of another Liane Moriarty novel. (Liked “Big Little Lies”? Watch this next!) “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans,” a fall-from-grace biopic cast to the hilt and padded to the limit. (Liked “Fosse/Verdon”? Watch this next!).

These shows don’t have what it takes to be truly bad. Making honestly bad TV requires a mercenary, Barnumesque disregard for taste, or a hellbent willingness to take the kind of gamble that can turn into disaster.

Mid TV, on the other hand, almost can’t be bad for some of the same reasons that keep it from being great. It’s often an echo of the last generation of breakthrough TV (so the highs and lows of “Game of Thrones” are succeeded by the faithful adequacy of “House of the Dragon” ). Or it’s made by professionals who know how to make TV too well, and therefore miss a prerequisite of making great art, which is training yourself to forget how the thing was ever done and thus coming up with your own way of doing it.

Mid is not a strict genre with a universal definition. But it’s what you get when you raise TV’s production values and lower its ambitions. It reminds you a little of something you once liked a lot. It substitutes great casting for great ideas. (You really liked the star in that other thing! You can’t believe they got Meryl Streep !)

Mid is based on a well-known book or movie or murder. Mid looks great on a big screen. (Though for some reason everything looks blue .) Mid was shot on location in multiple countries. Mid probably could have been a couple episodes shorter. Mid is fine, though. It’s good enough.

Above all, Mid is easy. It’s not dumb easy — it shows evidence that its writers have read books. But the story beats are familiar. Plot points and themes are repeated. You don’t have to immerse yourself single-mindedly the way you might have with, say, “The Wire.” It is prestige TV that you can fold laundry to.

And let’s be fair, it makes plenty of people happy. Any honest critic has to recognize that people for whom TV-watching is not work do not always want to work at watching TV. (See, for instance, the unlikely resurgence on Netflix of “Suits,” that watchable avatar of 2010s basic-cable Mid.) I get it. TV critics have laundry to fold, too.

There may also be economic reasons to prefer good-enough TV. As more people drop cable TV for streaming, their incentives change. With cable you bought a package of channels, many of which you would never watch, but any of which you might .

Each streaming platform, on the other hand, requires a separate purchase decision , and they add up. You might well choose a service that has plenty of shows you’d be willing to watch rather than one with a single show that you must watch.

So where HBO used to boast that it was “not TV,” modern streamers send the message, “We’ll give you a whole lot of TV.” It can seem like their chief goal is less to produce standout shows than to produce a lot of good-looking thumbnails.

There even is a growing idea that a new Golden Age is emerging, with a new Midas. Apple TV+, the home of “Ted Lasso” and “The Morning Show,” has been deemed, by more than one commentator, “the new HBO.”

Apple TV+ is not HBO. At least not in the sense of what made HBO HBO in the 2000s, when it was revolutionizing TV and challenging viewers. (And HBO wasn’t alone in being “HBO” in this sense: It had company in FX, AMC, Showtime and occasionally Syfy and others.)

But Apple TV+ just might be the HBO of Mid.

Broadly generalizing, Apple’s strategy has been to open its checkbook and sign up A-list names — Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, M. Night Shyamalan — to make broadly palatable, uncontroversial shows. (This did not work out too well with Jon Stewart .) According to reports around its founding, the Apple chief Tim Cook was concerned that the service not go overboard with violence, profanity and nudity — not exactly the mission statement of somebody looking to reopen the Bada Bing.

Apple’s investment bought something. Its shows feel professional. They look like premium products that no one skimped on. “Palm Royale” has a loaded cast (Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Carol Burnett[!]) and an attention to period detail that recalls “Mad Men.” But its class farce is toothless, its atmosphere of ’60s cultural ferment warmed over. Comedies like “Shrinking” and “Platonic” and “Loot” are more nice than funny, dramas like “Constellation,” “The New Look” and “Manhunt” classy but inert.

These are shows built like iPhones — sleek, rounded, with no edges you can cut yourself on.

THERE IS, OF COURSE, great and innovative TV on Apple as well. I’m dying to see another season of the brain-bending sci-fi thriller “Severance,” and its first crop of shows included the alternative space-race history “For All Mankind” and the screwball literary history “Dickinson.”

It is exceptions like these series that make me an optimist about TV long-term. Even in the face of pressures and incentives to aim for the middle, creativity wants to find a way. Just a year ago, I was writing about wild, adventurous series like “Beef,” “Reservation Dogs,” “Mrs. Davis” and “I’m a Virgo.” (This year, two of the best new dramas so far are a remake of “Shogun” and a re-adaptation of “The Talented Mr. Ripley.”)

But the bulk of TV right now — the packing peanuts that fill up the space between “The Bear” and “FBoy Island” — feels flattened out in the broad middle. No, not flattened: Smoothed. That may be the biggest but most intangible defining feature of Mid. It’s friction-free. It has an A.I.-like, uncanny luster, like the too-sharp motion-smoothing effect that you have to turn off when you buy a new flat-screen.

TV is far from broken, but it does feel like someone needs to go in and tweak the settings. The price of reliability, competence and algorithm-friendliness is losing the sense of surprise — the unmoored feeling you get, from innovations like “Fleabag” and “Watchmen” and “I May Destroy You,” of being thrown into an unpredictable alien universe.

I don’t think it’s only critics and TV snobs who want this, either. “The Sopranos” and “Twin Peaks” were revolutionary and rewarded close viewing, but they were also popular. Even if you watch TV as escapism, how much of an escape is a show that you can, and probably will, half-watch while also doomscrolling on your phone?

We lose something when we become willing to settle. Reliability is a fine quality in a hybrid sedan. But in art, it has a cost. A show that can’t disappoint you can’t surprise you. A show that can’t enrage you can’t engage you.

The good news is, there is still TV willing to take chances, if you look for it. You may have loved or hated “The Curse,” but I would be surprised if anyone who watched an hour of it ended up indifferent to it. This month, HBO premiered “The Sympathizer,” Park Chan-wook’s frenetic adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s satire of the Vietnam War and its aftermath, a raucous, disorienting rush down the back alleys of memory.

With risk, of course, comes the possibility of disappointment — you might get another “The Idol.” I’m willing to accept the trade-off. The price of making TV that’s failure-proof, after all, is getting TV that can never really succeed. Come back, bad TV: All is forgiven.

James Poniewozik is the chief TV critic for The Times. He writes reviews and essays with an emphasis on television as it reflects a changing culture and politics. More about James Poniewozik

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An NPR editor who wrote a critical essay on the company has resigned after being suspended

FILE - The headquarters for National Public Radio (NPR) stands on North Capitol Street on April 15, 2013, in Washington. A National Public Radio editor who wrote an essay criticizing his employer for promoting liberal reviews resigned on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, a day after it was revealed that he had been suspended. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

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NEW YORK (AP) — A National Public Radio editor who wrote an essay criticizing his employer for promoting liberal views resigned on Wednesday, attacking NPR’s new CEO on the way out.

Uri Berliner, a senior editor on NPR’s business desk, posted his resignation letter on X, formerly Twitter, a day after it was revealed that he had been suspended for five days for violating company rules about outside work done without permission.

“I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems” written about in his essay, Berliner said in his resignation letter.

Katherine Maher, a former tech executive appointed in January as NPR’s chief executive, has been criticized by conservative activists for social media messages that disparaged former President Donald Trump. The messages predated her hiring at NPR.

NPR’s public relations chief said the organization does not comment on individual personnel matters.

The suspension and subsequent resignation highlight the delicate balance that many U.S. news organizations and their editorial employees face. On one hand, as journalists striving to produce unbiased news, they’re not supposed to comment on contentious public issues; on the other, many journalists consider it their duty to critique their own organizations’ approaches to journalism when needed.

In his essay , written for the online Free Press site, Berliner said NPR is dominated by liberals and no longer has an open-minded spirit. He traced the change to coverage of Trump’s presidency.

“There’s an unspoken consensus about the stories we should pursue and how they should be framed,” he wrote. “It’s frictionless — one story after another about instances of supposed racism, transphobia, signs of the climate apocalypse, Israel doing something bad and the dire threat of Republican policies. It’s almost like an assembly line.”

He said he’d brought up his concerns internally and no changes had been made, making him “a visible wrong-thinker at a place I love.”

In the essay’s wake, NPR top editorial executive, Edith Chapin, said leadership strongly disagreed with Berliner’s assessment of the outlet’s journalism and the way it went about its work.

It’s not clear what Berliner was referring to when he talked about disparagement by Maher. In a lengthy memo to staff members last week, she wrote: “Asking a question about whether we’re living up to our mission should always be fair game: after all, journalism is nothing if not hard questions. Questioning whether our people are serving their mission with integrity, based on little more than the recognition of their identity, is profoundly disrespectful, hurtful and demeaning.”

Conservative activist Christopher Rufo revealed some of Maher’s past tweets after the essay was published. In one tweet, dated January 2018, Maher wrote that “Donald Trump is a racist.” A post just before the 2020 election pictured her in a Biden campaign hat.

In response, an NPR spokeswoman said Maher, years before she joined the radio network, was exercising her right to express herself. She is not involved in editorial decisions at NPR, the network said.

The issue is an example of what can happen when business executives, instead of journalists, are appointed to roles overseeing news organizations: they find themselves scrutinized for signs of bias in ways they hadn’t been before. Recently, NBC Universal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde has been criticized for service on paid corporate boards.

Maher is the former head of the Wikimedia Foundation. NPR’s own story about the 40-year-old executive’s appointment in January noted that she “has never worked directly in journalism or at a news organization.”

In his resignation letter, Berliner said that he did not support any efforts to strip NPR of public funding. “I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism,” he wrote.

David Bauder writes about media for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder

April 29, 2024

Related Announcements

• October 9, 2020 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PA-20-272 .
• September 8, 2021 - Emerging Global Leader Award (K43 Independent Clinical Trial Required) ( PAR-21-251 )
• September 8, 2021 - Emerging Global Leader Award (K43 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed) ( PAR-21-252 )  
• April 21, 2022 - Fogarty HIV Research Training Program for Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions (D43 Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-22-151
• February 8, 2022 - Global Brain and Nervous System Disorders Research Across the Lifespan (R01 Clinical Trials Optional). See NOFO PAR-22-097
• May 10, 2023 - Interventions for Stigma Reduction to Improve HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment and Care in Low- and Middle- Income Countries (R01 - Clinical Trial Optional). See NOFO PAR-23-190
• January 16, 2024 - International Research Scientist Development Award (IRSDA) (K01 Independent Clinical Trial Required). See NOFO PAR-24-114
• January 22, 2024 - International Research Scientist Development Award (IRSDA) (K01) Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed. See NOFO PAR-24-113

Office of AIDS Research ( OAR )

The Fogarty International Center (FIC), supported with funds from the Office of AIDS Research (OAR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), invites supplement applications from currently funded HIV/AIDS research or research training grants to initiate research on the emerging need to address critical gaps in understanding the impact of HIV on the health of Women Living With HIV (WLWH) and to get a better understanding of the consequences of the intersectionality of HIV infection and women’s health at a more psychological, biological and physiological level. 

FIC will award up to one-year administrative supplements to FIC grantees working in Low- and Middle- Income Countries (LMICs) on HIV/AIDS projects focused on providing research training to candidates from LMICs. Potential trainees can be early-stage (includes medical students, pre-doctoral or doctoral level students) trainees, early-career researchers at post-doctoral level, and other new investigators and junior professionals interested in women’s health issues prevalent in the LMICs. The administrative supplements are expected to provide advanced mentored training in a much-neglected area of HIV science, namely the plight of WLWH in LMICs, and help them to carve out an independent research career in basic, clinical, and translational aspects of health and well-being of WLWH.  FIC and OAR recognize the need for bolstering interest at the intersection of HIV and women’s health in LMIC settings by providing support to jump-start work in this research area. This initiative is timely and especially responsive to the global challenge of providing adequate and relevant preventive and therapeutic benefits and care to WLWH.

This program will support any one of the following activities:

1. To equip early-stage trainees with research skills through an intensive and mentored research project of up to one year, focused on scientific gaps in research on WLWH across the lifespan.

2. To provide early-career researchers with a year of support to initiate work in HIV and women’s health and begin to build a research portfolio focused on health concerns of WLWH.

3. To provide opportunities for new investigators and junior professionals who want to introduce a women’s health focus to their HIV research program or link their current scientific interest to research on issues related to WLWH.

A brief portfolio analysis of NIH funded research in LMICs indicated that there has not been a concerted effort to develop a network of researchers working at the intersection of HIV and women’s health across the lifespan. This supplement program is a bolstering step in the direction of stimulating the interest of young scientists to take up research careers to address these issues. 

Background - Description of circumstances for which administrative supplements are available.

Recent studies suggest that WLWH face an increased risk of mortality due to coinfections and NCDs. HIV prevalence is higher in LMICs where poverty, lack of adequate health care resources, stigma, and challenges to accessing care among other factors can add to the deleterious effects of compounded health conditions on this population. This applies to both cis- and trans- women, to the older WLWH and to the female children, young adults and adolescents living with HIV who undergo several challenges and roadblocks to attempt a life free from depression, anxiety, hunger, gender-based violence and access to treatment among other issues. There are still critical gaps in understanding the long-term effects of HIV infection from a biological, behavioral, and social sciences perspective that when addressed will benefit development of global public health measures to improve the lives of WLWH. Long-term consequences of maternal infection and ART use on perinatal or in-utero acquired infection on the physiology of young girls still needs to be understood. WLWH are more susceptible to accelerated aging, which deprives young women of useful and productive lives earlier, neurocognitive disorders, loneliness and mental health disorders, arthritis, menopause, osteoporosis, frailty, multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The effects of sex hormones in WLWH on several of these conditions are heavily understudied. The elderly women who are living longer with these conditions add to the public health burden and health economics considerations by the health care systems, especially in LMICs.

Young girls and adolescents are particularly vulnerable to acquiring and transmitting disease due to lack of knowledge about HIV, let alone awareness of their condition and seeking care. Additionally, the administrative supplement will provide the opportunity to initiate research on new societal challenges in LMICs brought on by heightened recognition of health disparities, social determinants of health affecting access to care, increased prevalence in adolescents and young adults among other significant but understudied areas. More research is needed to get a clearer understanding of the intersectionality of the consequences of HIV infection and continuous use of ARTs at a more physiological level across the continuum of the age spectrum. The research and research training initiated through this supplement opportunity will be efficiently built on already ongoing work and will be timely to inform development of strategies to continue to develop better health outcomes for WLWH across the lifespan. Despite the progress over the last 40 years women around the world remain disproportionately affected by HIV. More research is needed to understand optimal ways to prevent, treat and cure HIV and associated comorbidities across women's lifespans, and in diverse populations of women including racial and ethnic minorities and underprivileged communities, which need to be prioritized for prevention treatment and cure related research efforts. Reaching such populations is an essential consideration for ending the HIV epidemic globally.

Supplement Goals:

The supplement is expected to: a) spur formative research for trainee projects as an introduction to research on HIV in relation to the health status of WLWH; b) set the stage for obtaining preliminary data and conducting pilot studies to demonstrate the feasibility of conducting research involving the intersection of HIV and women’s health, or c) add training and pilot research topics to train young investigators and public health workforce on managing health of WLWH across the lifespan. It is expected that this supplement opportunity will better prepare academic and research-intensive institutions to develop future leaders to conduct research in basic, clinical, and translational aspects of HIV-associated consequences and related areas on WLWH.

This initiative will support any one of the following activities:

1. Research Program using the R (R01) and K (K43 and K01) grant mechanisms: To build enhanced capacity to conduct HIV and women’s health research in LMICs through increased understanding of women’s health on HIV/AIDS Prevention, Treatment and Care in WLWH or to understand the contribution of HIV to the disease process in WLWH (including pregnant women, transgender women, adolescent, and young girls). This capacity building activity can include providing a mentored research opportunity to a junior investigator or a doctoral student to initiate work in this scientific area. The impact of this supplement is enhanced if the doctoral student or junior investigator is a female scientist, although not required.

2. Research Training program using the D43 mechanism: To enhance the HIV/AIDS research workforce in LMICs by providing additional training to incorporate the impact on the health of WLWH or to understand the nature of the different comorbid disease process in WLWH (including sex hormone differences, metabolic effects of drugs, cultural and social pressures affecting mental health, stigma among others). This research training activity can include providing a mentored research opportunity to a master’s or doctoral student or to a post-doctoral trainee to initiate work in this scientific area as a steppingstone to a career development path. This also can provide training to health care workers and pharmacists to critically assess and adjust their care provision in a more culturally and patient-tailored fashion. It will also support efforts to conduct studies on the challenges faced by WLWH in LMICs due to the complex cultural and societal challenges that includes stigma and discrimination faced by WLWH.

Research/Research Training Plan

The proposed research or training plan is not restricted; however, the proposals must be within the scope of the parent grant objectives with the novelty of inclusion of a women’s health lens on the original goals. Therefore, an introduction that clearly but briefly states the overall scope of the supplement request, the anticipated contribution of the requested supplement to the parent study, and how the project is within the goals of the parent grant should be included.

For the purposes of the supplement application women’s health is considered broadly to encompass the well-being of females, from childhood through adolescence, reproductive ages and postmenopausal ages. Women in this case also includes all age groups whose sex is assigned at birth as female and whose growth over time could be influenced by early influences of HIV or to in utero exposure to anti-retrovirals as they age into childhood, adolescence and young adult and beyond. Women also includes cisgender, transgender, and gender-diverse women who should receive evidence-based care, prevention, and treatment tailored to their unique needs, circumstances, and goals.

Studies may include but will not be limited to:

• Studies that will incorporate aspects of basic mechanisms, translational and implementation research, behavioral and social sciences research into the current goals of the parent grant that would help modify prevention, treatment, and care activities for WLWH.
• Studies that investigate the influence of sex-linked biology, gender-related factors, hormone therapy, polypharmacy on non-communicable diseases and coinfections in WLWH.
• Understanding and developing intersectional stigma reduction interventions as it applies to cis- and trans-gender women, adolescent girls, pregnant and post-partum women, widowed women, and female children across the lifespan who are living with HIV.
• Studies to better understand the psychological, physiologic and biological effects of menopause on WLWH.
• Studies investigating societal challenges faced by WLWH in LMICs brought on by heightened recognition of health disparities, and social determinants of health affecting access to care.

Supplement Budget Allowance:

FIC will provide up to $100,000 Total costs per supplement. However, the requested budget must be commensurate with the scope of the proposed work.

Budget can be used to hire appropriate personnel to carry out required activities under the specific aims proposed; to compensate a training coordinator and support trainees to work on the newly added goals of the supplement; and other costs related to accomplishment of the specific aims.

Funds should be used consistent with the administrative restrictions on the parent award.

A clear budget and budget justification must be provided as indicated in PA-20-272.

All requisite NIH and other local organizations’ required clearances, if appropriate, must be obtained prior to start of any work funded by supplement funds.

Review and Award  Considerations

FIC will review all applications for responsiveness to this announcement. An internal review group convened by FIC in keeping with NIH peer review guidelines will review all responsive supplement applications and assign a priority score.

Applicants should develop their studies in keeping with the NIH HIV/AIDS Research Priorities ( https://www.oar.nih.gov/hiv-policy-and-research/research-priorities ;  https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-018.html ) .

The following will be considered in making awards:

• Relevance to the intersection of HIV and women’s health in the LMIC where the proposed work will be done
• Quality of the proposed research project, and training potential
• Funding availability
• Programmatic priorities
• Geographical distribution

Reporting criteria

Awardees of administrative supplements will be required to submit a progress report to be included in the annual progress report of the parent grant. Progress reports should include the Supplement grant number and a summary of the supplement projects and outcomes.

Announcement Release Date:  April 2024

Application receipt date: June 20, 2024

Supplements awarded: September 1 – September 30, 2024

Application Submission Information

Applications for this initiative must be submitted using the following opportunity or its subsequent reissued equivalent.

• PA- 20-272 - Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)

All instructions in the  SF424 (R&R) Application Guide and  PA- 20-272 must be followed, with the following additions:

• Application Due Date(s) – June 20, 2024, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization.
• For funding consideration, applicants must include “NOT-TW-24-005” (without quotation marks) in the Agency Routing Identifier field (box 4B) of the SF424 R&R form. Applications without this information in box 4B will not be considered for this initiative.
• Requests may be for up to one year of support only. 
• Recipients of currently active FIC (TW) awards working on HIV/AIDS research areas that are not in a no-cost-extension or other funded extension period as of August 31, 2024, may submit a supplement application.
• If the principal investigator (PI) and contact institution of the parent grant is in the US, a Multiple PI (MPI) or co-investigator from the LMIC institution must lead the supplement initiative as the supplement project director (PD).  However, the contact PI of the parent award must submit the application and remains PI of the supplement.
• The trainees supported by the supplement must be from the LMIC, and training and research must be done in the LMIC.
• The Research Strategy or Training Plan section of the application is limited to 6 pages.
• Only existing awardees of FIC D43, R01, K43, and K01 research and training program are eligible to apply.
• The project “summary” should be for the administrative supplement, not the parent grant. However, please include a very brief outline of the parent goals.
• K01 and K43 applicants must include mentor statements from their current U.S. and LMIC mentors in support of the proposed supplement activities.
• K01 and K43 applicants must include a letter signed by the Institutional Business Official that provides a description of institutional support for the PI’s proposed supplement activities.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the program contact of the parent award that a request has been submitted in response to this NOFO in order to facilitate efficient processing of the request.

Please direct all inquiries to:

Geetha P. Bansal, Ph.D. Fogarty International Center Telephone: 301-496-1492 Email: [email protected]

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