THE WAY WE LIVE NOW: SELF-REFLECTION ON COVID 19.

People,
No need to invoke Sontag’s short story in your self-reflection unless you want to.
Begin as you would any other intro for me. In this case explore the importance of
good health in terms of any individual and then what it means for family,
community, or nation. From there in 5-7 pages reflect on your experiences in the
past months and how this current pandemic has changed the way you live. Below I
will list a myriad of questions and statements only meant to offer you focus and
direction. You needn’t engage all of them; only what is important from your
personal perspective. And the list is not exhaustive by any means; if other ideas
occur to you that are important and I have not mentioned them, by all means
engage them. There is not a right or wrong here, but I will expect you to fully
develop your reflections in a formal language. You have much flexibility, but 5-7
pages means 5-7. Your grade will be factored on how well you are able to
articulate, organize, develop, your ideas into a coherent and clear expression. You
may use first person I or We.
SOURCES: Weave a minimum of 5 sources – newspaper articles, periodicals,
news reports on the NPR or television, any .gov sites, medical journals. You
may use anecdotal evidence – stories – or stats etc. The purpose of using the
source material is to augment your own story. Tie the source material to the
personal.
Of course this means a Work Cited page at the end.
One way to approach this is to simply free write from your gut and your heart and
then mold it after. Just let it go and then return to it and shape it. If that seems to
difficult, then read the questions I have posited below and see if any can help you
generate language that does not come immediately to you.
What are some of the emotions you have experienced? Fear? Worry? Frustration?
Boredom? Comfort from family and friends? Pride in the way some of stepped up?
How have these emotions manifested themselves in your daily life?
What have the mysterious qualities of the virus meant to you? The loss of control
over your world, your mobility, your hope for a sudden and “magic” cure. What
does the fact that there is so much unknown about it mean to you?
What has surprised you about our nation’s response? About the work of health care
workers and essential workers, about state and federal responses, the national or
local news coverage? What bothers you about what has not been done; what needs
to be done? What do you believe needs to be done and why?
Do you have any impressions about the new phases of opening? Too soon. Not
soon enough? Are the plans safe enough: here? In other states?
What are your thoughts regarding the death toll? The suffering so many have
endured. Is it personal for you? For your family?
What has the pandemic meant to your sense of self?
Do you feel overwhelmed? How do you deal with that or any of the intense
emotions you may be experiencing?
What have your dreams been like?
What are the worries for your family? Immediate and extended?
What has the virus meant for your work situation? For others you know? How has
this impacted your behavior? The behavior of others?
How has your belief in the medical community been impacted? In the various
levels of government and their response.
Do you feel that in time the medical community will solve the COVID riddle and
we will be able to return to normalcy?
How do you feel about those who seem to disregard the importance of the “shelter
in place” mandate? Who disregard the new rules of social etiquette, like
distancing and masks and gloves?
How do you feel about the future – immediate or years from now?
Has the way you once viewed the world changed? Think in terms of how the
pandemic has impacted the nations of the globe. Does the world suddenly seem
like a smaller place?
Do you find yourself caring more about your life, the lives of others?
What do you find yourself wishing for each and every day?