The Value of the Humanities
Introduction
Humanities have helped change the world for the better. Through its work, learners can comprehend the diversity present in different cultures and their values. Furthermore, individuals understand what entails coming up with a work of art and the making of history. Humanities have served a great purpose of encouraging people to think creatively with great reasoning about being human beings and ask questions about the world in which we live (Curt Rice, 2014). This way, learners are equipped with appropriate tools to imagine the future and what it holds.
Value of studying the humanities in the field of health professions
Learning how to perform medical procedures for health professions accurately is paramount, but incorporating humanism in the study is equally important. It is only through humanity that a medical student learns the art of medicine. Integrating humanities has helped professionals be better equipped for understanding, assessing, and treating patients. Also, the medics will be able to comfortably interact with a patient, his/her culture, and the living situation at an individual level as opposed to viewing a sick person as any other victim of an illness or accident. Therefore, practitioners develop a capacity to listen, interpret, and communicate through critical and reflective thinking (Ramai & Goldin, 2013).
Through humanities, a medical student’s tolerance for ambiguity has greatly improved. The art of self-awareness has gone a long way to ensure medical students foster an active professional conscience throughout their careers. Students are encouraged to express virtues such as empathy, fairness, and loyalty, which will help a suffering patient. Re-enforcing these virtues ensure that medical professionals do not lose empathy, which is fundamental in the healing process.
How a topic such as art, literature, music, and dance, from other time period enhance career and personal life in present
Humanities teach several fundamental skills like creative thinking and reasoning, enhancing an individual’s present personal life and career. Topics like art, literature, and dance improve an individual’s self-esteem and social skills. Self-worth bears great importance at the workplace and personal life since it translates to self-confidence, trusting one’s abilities and judgment. This increases an individual’s engagements with people at a personal level and work. The result is improved relationships and higher productivity. For example, art has proved to help students improve their memory, concentration, faster decision-making skills, critical thinking, and enhanced listening and communication skills while encouraging them to be focused and disciplined.
Music and dance have helped in easier expressing of feelings and emotions. The two have proofed to affect people’s personalities in countless ways. Through music, individuals get to learn different sounds and patterns while dance helps in exploring and controlling body movements activities, which help in stimulating various connections in the brain (Schafer, 2018). If anyone is intentional with listening to music and dance, they eventually become powerful in making positive impacts both at work and personal life.
Aspects of humanities that are meaningful to personal life and career
Religion is an aspect of humanities that is meaningful to my personal life. Religion has made me feel part of the larger culture hence making me feel good about myself and how I relate with other people. As a religious person who comes from a society where religion is widespread, my self-esteem is higher, and I am always happier, resulting from the joy of being part of a regular service. Occasionally getting together with other people in the church has helped in building social networks, which has aided in developing better relationships with friends and family hence life satisfaction.
Literature is another aspect of humanities that is meaningful to one’s career. It enhances intelligence by reading, writing, and communicating. A larger exposure to literature translates to an expansion in imaginations. In the work line, literature helps individuals expand their vocabulary while offering the ability to write coherently and articulately. This strengthens both verbal and written communication skills for any job prospects.
A specific example of a work that is meaningful in my personal life and career.
Public speaking, for example, is a work of literature that has positively impacted my personal and career life. My communication and leadership skills have improved, which has allowed me to effortlessly form connections and play an important role in influencing decisions. It is a fact that without proper skills of communication, no one can progress in a career or life. Moreover, addressing the public helps in building confidence and acquiring the ability to understand people. Furthermore, perfecting public speaking is an indication of creativity, critical thinking, professionalism, and poise qualities, which are essential in any job market.
Conclusions
Humanities matter and serve a great purpose. Studying the different aspects of humanities benefits not only employers and individuals but also society. From arts, music, and dance to politics, business, and religion, learners can acquire different fundamental skills in these fields, which allows for easier comprehension of culture and its evolution. Understanding where people have come makes it easier to predict future people are yet to experience. In medicine, for example, incorporating empathy to medical students ensures the virtue becomes part and parcel of their identity and a habitual response toward any ailing person. In other careers and aspects of life, humanities have seen that human beings grow into critical citizens who are informed about the world in which we live.
References
Curt Rice. (2014). Here are 9 reasons why the humanities matter. | Curt Rice. Curt-rice.com. Retrieved 4 July 2020, from https://curt-rice.com/2014/02/25/here-are-9-reasons-why-humanities-matter.
Ramai, D., & Goldin, S. (2013). Humanities in medicine: preparing for practice. Perspectives On Medical Education, 2(5-6), 332-334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-013-0086-8
Schafer, P. (2018). The role of music in the development of our personalities and lives. Where words fail. Retrieved 4 July 2020, from https://wherewordsfailblog.com/2018/06/15/the-role-of-music-in-the-development-of-our-personalities-and-lives/.