Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful, timely, and hopeful reflection. Your words resonate deeply, especially your acknowledgment of the tension between remaining open to differing policy perspectives and the moral imperative to reject cruelty. The clarity with which you distinguish between reasonable disagreement and unacceptable harm is a powerful reminder of the ethical foundation upon which public health must always stand.Your optimism, particularly your recognition of the promise embodied in the rising generation, offers a necessary counterbalance to the disorientation of the present moment. The idea that adversity can catalyze renewed clarity, stronger partnerships, and more inclusive practices is both comforting and galvanizing.
Reading your piece prompts a deeper question:
As we embrace this season of hope and renewal, how can academic institutions and public health leaders more deliberately cultivate resilience-not only in systems and structures but in the civic and moral imagination of the students and professionals who will carry this work forward?
This feels like a crucial challenge: to ensure that our responses to current disruptions are not just reactive but transformative.
Thank you. Wise words. I’m reminded of “affect optimization,” where one sees both the negative and positive in a situation, yet more heavily leans on the positive as a guide for going forward.
As a Wash U alumn (class of ‘75!) can you tell me specifically what the damage was to campus? Thanks.
Dear Professor Galea,
Thank you for sharing such a thoughtful, timely, and hopeful reflection. Your words resonate deeply, especially your acknowledgment of the tension between remaining open to differing policy perspectives and the moral imperative to reject cruelty. The clarity with which you distinguish between reasonable disagreement and unacceptable harm is a powerful reminder of the ethical foundation upon which public health must always stand.Your optimism, particularly your recognition of the promise embodied in the rising generation, offers a necessary counterbalance to the disorientation of the present moment. The idea that adversity can catalyze renewed clarity, stronger partnerships, and more inclusive practices is both comforting and galvanizing.
Reading your piece prompts a deeper question:
As we embrace this season of hope and renewal, how can academic institutions and public health leaders more deliberately cultivate resilience-not only in systems and structures but in the civic and moral imagination of the students and professionals who will carry this work forward?
This feels like a crucial challenge: to ensure that our responses to current disruptions are not just reactive but transformative.
Warm regards,
Linnette
Thank you. Wise words. I’m reminded of “affect optimization,” where one sees both the negative and positive in a situation, yet more heavily leans on the positive as a guide for going forward.
As a Wash U alumn (class of ‘75!) can you tell me specifically what the damage was to campus? Thanks.