Day 419, May 10, 2021
Survive Well
Tonight's soundtrack: Stanley Jordan, Budapest, 2018
This weekend's meditation from Take Back The Economy was based on what does it mean to survive well? Or in the recent pandemic parlance, how does one flourish rather than languish? TBTE focuses on material well-being, having basic needs and resources met; occupational well-being, enjoying what one does over the course of a day for work, study, or recreation; social well-being, from relationships and networks; community well-being, from involvement in community activities; and physical well-being, good health and safe living.
TBTE then goes further thinking about extending beyond the individual experience and thinking about living well collectively and in particular considering one's ecological footprint.
It is interesting to consider what has changed, shifted, and realigned as a result of the pandemic. At a meeting today one of my colleagues mentioned how the pandemic has exacerbated the inequities that existed before and the semester to come may be one of the hardest we have experienced yet because we have not seen the full physical and mental toll of the pandemic on students.
Certainly in my work with students, remote college has also coincided with an increased sense of responsibility to help out at home, to help augment family income that was lost or diminished due to shutdowns, job loss, and illness. For many students, the basic needs that were taken for granted in their lives were thrown into question. Is it any wonder that we are seeing so much anxiety among our students?
And yet, clearly, the impact of the pandemic was unequal and some people have benefited tremendously, and others who have maintained employment have saved money by not going on vacations, not going out to eat, not going to movies and buying popcorn.
Even so, our preoccupation with stuff was as prevalent as ever, whether it was buying toilet paper and all the other pandemic accouterments of plastic gloves, face masks, fire pits, and puzzles, or if it was redirected to our sudden hobbies like learning to play ukulele, bake, buy guitars, or bicycles. There is always the promise of stuff that it will make life more pleasing, make us happier people, but conversely, as we acquire more stuff, our resources diminish and it is sometimes harder to maintain our basic needs and we need to work more, even in a pandemic.
Occupational well-being becomes even more important as we turn more and more to work over the course of a pandemic. We turn to work more because we need to further secure our basic needs or the resources to acquire stuff, or we turn to increased work because we feel a sense of duty to others, our students, our patients, our roles in our community. For many people, we turned to jobs to help give our lives more meaning as we retreated from social and and community activities. And others used their jobs to contribute more to the community like the restaurants that gave meals or discounted meals to first responders and essential workers. There were the cafeterias of local schools that prepared lunches for any hungry children in the region. There are the countless parents who took on multiple roles as children learned from home and teachers the world over who suddenly transitioned to online formats.
The expansion of work is ok and tolerable for a period of time. It may be justifiable. But overwork begins to impact physical well-being from inactivity or overuse.
Maybe I need to start again....
How do we survive well?
I think along with increased work, there are people who are questioning things that they felt were important and are now prioritizing other things. I'm remember the founder of Interface Carpets, Ray Anderson who talked about coming to the realization that he was pillaging the Earth and that he had an ethical and moral responsibility to do things differently. In the process he reshaped his industry with new Earth friendly practices and materials. To certain degrees we are all having little Ray Anderson moments and recognizing where we are complicit in our own unhappiness and the unhappiness of others. Or to phrase it another way, we are prioritizing the well-being of ourselves and others. That is never a bad thing.
We have all been in a process of reassessing what brings us happiness, what brings us fulfillment, what is important, and what is less important.
In my own path or practice, I have experienced wide swings between austerity and conservation, reassessing priorities, and slipping into the materialism of stuff and the promise of happiness that is supposed to accompany stuff.
A recent article in the New York Times, "What Makes a Happy Country?" highlighted the nonchalance that the Finns have despite their country being declared the happiest in the world for the fourth consecutive year. There are multiple factors the researchers highlight, including free access to higher education and universal healthcare. The article ends with the image of the common sight of a 7 year old child walking to school with a backpack by his or her self and the idea that the society has a high degree of trust and that, despite the societal challenges they may have, there is that basic deep rooted sense of trust and faith in one another.
I wonder how we categorize that.
In Star Trek there is a utopian vision of humanity where after a calamity of war, people rise up and recreate a society where technology has enabled people do things because they have a passion for it, a desire to pursue a thing rather than working to make material gain. In Finland where the income disparity is narrow, education is free, and everyone has access to healthcare, one can focus on different needs, like if you laughed, if you learned something, if you were treated with respect.
Perhaps core to that is the idea of respect.
How will we evolve as a society? Can we choose to survive well? To thrive? To flourish?
I think I have a sudden desire to visit Finland and experience what it might feel like to live in the happiest country.
Be well and dream big,
Leo
From Our Friends:
From the Asian and Asian American Studies Certificate Program at UMass Amherst:
From GBH:
This year, our community event is a forum focused on the rising violence against Asian Americans. Over the past year, incidents of hate crimes against Asian Americans have been rising at an alarming rate. Our panel of experts will participate in a roundtable discussion exploring the history of racism faced by Asian Americans, sharing current statistics on anti-Asian hate crimes and defining what constitutes a hate crime. Experts will provide resources for local communities including how to report anti-Asian hate crimes and how to obtain emotional support. During the event, we will explore steps that individuals can take to become allies and advocates in support of local Asian American populations to combat racism.
GBH’s commitment to Asian American and Pacific Islander communities is significant. The annual celebration will also share highlights from a few films and programs airing in May on GBH 2, GBH 44 and GBH WORLD, our national documentary channel, that celebrate diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures. The event will feature an exclusive prerecorded conversation with author Amy Tanand highlight a clip from American Masters: Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir, which premieres May 3 on GBH and local PBS stations.
This event is free and open to the public but registration is required.
From the Poetry Center at Smith College:
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From Amherst College:
Beyond Hate and Anti-Asian Racism: A Conversation with Lisa Lowe
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 at 8 p.m. EDT
Amherst College Professor of American Studies Pawan Dhingra will moderate a conversation with interdisciplinary scholar Lisa Lowe, Samuel Knight Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration at Yale University.
From Asian Americans Advancing Justice:
Bystander Intervention Trainings
Anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment are on the rise across the US -- and the world. In these virtual workshops hosted on Zoom and co-sponsored by Asian Americans Advancing Justice - LA and Hollaback!, you’ll learn how you can intervene effectively as a bystander without ever compromising your safety.
In response to the alarming surge in hate incidents targeting the Asian American community, Advancing Justice – LA, a leading legal and civil rights organization, is launching its first-ever bystander intervention initiative. The effort includes the debut of a PSA narrated by actor Ken Jeong designed to promote awareness and usage of bystander intervention methods. Intended to prevent verbal harassment from escalating into physical violence, these techniques oer everyday people the chance to assist victims and play a role in keeping their communities safe.
Created in partnership with Hollaback!, a nonprofit working to end harassment in all its forms, the PSAs are based on the “5Ds of bystander intervention”, which are dierent methods a person can use to help victims of harassment.
Watch full version.
Download the full PSA here.
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