Guide Questions:

How do you think the study of humanities can make you more critical, empathetic, creative, and
holistic as a person?

What do you think is the role of art in this pandemic crisis that we are facing today?

In modern time, as technology becomes more common and easily accessible to everyone,
the study of math and sciences is being encouraged and prioritized to keep up with the increasing
demand to make human lives easier and more comfortable. With the increase in popularity for
these disciplines, the discipline of humanities is slowly being neglected, as opposed to ancient
times. People are manipulated into thinking that innovation and technological advancement is
more valuable and can yield more income compared to humanities, going overboard, saying that
studying this discipline is just a waste of time and money and that you can easily learn it by
yourself. I somehow agree with the latter statement that it is learned through your experiences,
observations, and connecting with others. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In order to fully
understand what humanities are and its importance, higher education is necessary to explore
deeper into this discipline.

Just like art, Humanities is very difficult to define because of its broad aspects. But, to
put it merely, Humanities are an academic discipline that studies human culture. However,
studying the humanities is far more than mere academic subjects that research human culture.
The Humanities was showing us where we were and allowing us to visualize where we were
going. Humanities study teaches creative and critical thinking and questions one’s assumptions
about oneself. Studying it offers advice for life. There are many and varied lessons learned from
this discipline, often questioning one’s existing worldview. Humanities enrich our moral and
value-based beliefs and allow us to imagine situations outside of our understanding so that when
a choice confronts us outside of our personal experience, we may have the knowledge and
background to understand better and respond. By studying the Humanities, such as philosophy,
literature, religion, art, music, history, and language, we broaden our intellectual foundation.
This discipline helps us learn how individuals, organizations, and nations act on their desires and
concerns. We gain historical and cultural perspectives, and critical thinking skills that help us
collaborate with people across the globe, and communication skills that enable us to listen,
explain, and inspire.

In our day-to-day lives, the arts establish wellness by helping us process our experiences
and encouraging us to come together collectively. Art enables us to interact from afar during
COVID-19, creating positivity, gratitude, and hope. Masks are becoming more creative now that
we are wearing it to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 globally. A variety of imaginative
masks allow us to continue to express ourselves and inspire us to wear masks. Mask designs can
improve the use and promote public health, whether fun or functional. We think that art can only
be seen in museums and art galleries, but art is everywhere in reality. It is part of our lives. And
it helps us overcome our fears during this crisis by momentarily giving us entertainment and
relieving us from stress.