Read the article, Worsley, A.S. (2018, April 16). Loneliness is a much more modern phenomenon than you think. World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/04/a-history-of-loneliness.
- Focus on Worsley’s idea that “Reading literature can make the mind feel like less of a wilderness. The books we read need not themselves be about loneliness, though there are lots of examples of these…Reading allows readers to connect with characters who might also be lonely; but more importantly, it offers a way to make the mind feel as though it is populated.”
- Discuss the causes, health impacts and solutions associated with the problem of loneliness and social isolation presented by the former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in the video assigned for the week. Identify in the discussion the problems and solutions you deem the most significant.
- Consider the concept of populating the wilderness of the mind taken as an antidote to loneliness from the article by Amelia Worsley. Describe novels, biographies, autobiographies or short stories that have ‘populated’ your minds in meaningful and positive ways.
Instructions:
- Your initial post (approximately 250-300 words) should address each question in the discussion directions and is due by 11:59 PM Central Time on Wednesday.