"When are things going to get back to normal?" is a question I hear often. Others point out that "normal" will be drastically different. On April 27, Ontario released A Framework for Reopening Our Province. The plan emphasizes the slow and the incremental. I imagine what changes I will encounter in the future: Will a server take my temperature before I enter a restaurant? At the movie theater, will there be several empty seats separating me (and the popcorn bucket) from my friends? Will I wear a … [Read more...]
At Home with Arendt
Exploring questions of home and belonging in conversation with the philosophy of Hannah Arendt
Losing public spaces, losing oneself
In early March, I had the privilege of speaking at the Wanner Mennonite Church in Cambridge, ON. I was invited to speak about my research – how the public’s perception of addiction affects the ability of people with addiction to recover. It was the first time I had been invited to speak at a church! A call to action The pastor and I spoke a few weeks before my visit. He asked me what kind of presentation I had in mind. It seemed like a peculiar question at the time; I told him that I was … [Read more...]
On physical distancing and community
"We don't call it 'social distancing,' because what we offer here is not only food, it's human connection, even when we must stay physically further apart." This statement was made by the Rev. Dr. Anna Pearson. She is the rector at the Church of the Holy Apostles, which runs New York City's largest soup kitchen. Because of I work with my local Food Not Bombs chapter (which I have discussed previously), I read with interest the New Yorker's April 6 spotlight on how the kitchen, which has not … [Read more...]
To obey or not to obey? The logic of social distancing
Arendt often quoted Shakespeare, and paraphrasing Hamlet – one of Western culture’s greatest procrastinators - is apropos for my sense of ambiguity right now as to whether to obey…or not to? In a previous post, Katy noted how the Covid 19 crisis represented a time for courage. Across the world, we have seen courageous, and irresponsible, actions from leaders and others. But it is not so much courage that I have been thinking about. Rather, it is obedience. In her essay “Personal … [Read more...]
Social distancing, loneliness, and friendship
I've been listening to Canadaland's isolation interviews. When The Globe and Mail's Robyn Doolittle was asked about the strangest thing that she had done that day, she replied that it was doing her normal job as an investigative journalist, working from home (where her partner and young children also are) on stories that have nothing to do with COVID-19. Like many, I feel constantly distracted by COVID-19 Dolittle's comment resonates with me. I feel odd working on a series entitled "At Home … [Read more...]
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