Res Ed Reflects: Quarantine as a Shared Experience
By Thomas J. Rainey
Housefellow Thomas J. Rainey reflects on current events and how the COVID crisis could open up new opportunities to improve cultural competency.
As we continue to adapt to the ever-changing dynamic of a world facing a pandemic, I would like to remind all of us to learn about ourselves and each other. In the new normal, every day brings information that can change the foundations of our lives. As we all continue to do the best we can to adapt, I have found reflection to be very helpful during this time. If nothing else, I have an overabundance of time to think. While reflecting, I realized that we are currently experiencing the largest shared experience I can think of. During this one moment in history, everyone is currently adapting and dealing with COVID-19.
While this is not a worthwhile revelation in itself, it has sparked a bit of optimism in me. The reason being is that I believe that shared experiences have an immense power to bring us together. Through shared experiences, you develop a common language to understand others despite difference and hopefully come to appreciate difference. While appreciating difference is difficult, connecting with people through shared experiences is natural. One way to do this is to engage with a variety of people.
What I would like to ask of each of you during this time is to take a moment and have a conversation with someone you may not know very well about what this experience has been like for them. While doing this, think about how the person you are speaking to has had similar experiences to what you have experienced, and in what ways their experience has differed. When listening to the ways that their experience has differed, challenge yourself to ask questions and seek understanding as to why they may have had a different experience.
These conversations can be light hearted or heavy depending on your comfort level, but what I hope will be gained from attempting this challenge is the ability to take these shared experiences into your communities and use them to promote an understanding of difference. When this is all over, I believe we will have a tremendous opportunity to grow as a global community.
I wish good health to all of you and your families.