MATH 1030 WU WK 1 The World Most Vulnerable People Discussion

Response 1: Respond to at least one classmate using the following:

Response 1 will be to this post from a colleague:

Norman,

formulate Your Question

Thinking about getting vaccinated or not getting vaccinated. This is my dilemma since I am a diabetic. I want to do the right thing, but at what cost. I don’t want to do anything because it seems like the right thing to do. I want to be safe and have others safe around me. There are factors around this vaccine that makes this decision difficult. So what do I do to be safe for me, my family, and others? Being a diabetic the vaccine is scary to me since my dad was a diabetic and died of covid complications. I also consider my values and spiritual beliefs.

Gather Information

I have researched the vaccine and have found that it has its positives and negatives. The positives are that it does help people handle the symptoms better and shows that a high percentage of the people who got covid and died did not have the vaccine. With that being said, having the vaccine you can still get and spread covid. I have discussed with people in my line of work about the vaccine and it seems that about 65% of people were ok getting the vaccine and 35% said they would not get the vaccine. A number of that 35% said that they would not get the second shot or the buster shot. I have talked to people who had the vaccine and reported certain symptoms that haven’t gone away since they got the vaccine and others who have had no symptoms. They say that this vaccine can alter your DNA and clot your blood. The lack of research is questionable too…

Apply Information

The information I have gathered doesn’t support my decision to get the vaccine or not to get the vaccine. It seems that the vaccine just protects the people that get the vaccine, which is ok and is effective in the fight against covid, but it is also the lack of research. They also pay people to take the vaccine which can raise some political views about getting vaccinated. Trying to mandate the vaccine takes away the rights of the people. The power of the media can create scare tactics to support the reason to get or not get the vaccine.

Consider the Implications

The vaccine is helping but at what cost? If I get the vaccine will it cause complications with my diabetes? Getting my kids vaccinated is there some long-term side effects they will that they will endure as adults. Will my 12-year-old daughter have children and/or will her kids be born healthy. Has enough research been accumulated to answer these questions? This vaccine may help people survive getting covid but what are the long-term ramifications.

Explore Other Viewpoints

I get it the vaccine is helping and I do understand why people are getting vaccinated. Protecting yourself and others is the key to saving lives. By no way am I against the vaccine, I just think people should have a choice about what they put in their bodies. There are other options like social distancing, washing your hands and just being responsible in your daily routines. Getting more info on the vaccine, excepting and respecting other’s views helps us to make better decisions in our critical thinking. Your thoughts and information are welcomed.

Response 2: Respond to at least one other classmate using the following:

Response 2 will be to this colleague:

Sarah,

In September of 2020, I was facing a significant life decision in my career. I had been with a financial institution for fifteen years, and I loved my job. I had flexible hours and the freedom of traveling much of northern Michigan to get to the branches I serviced. However, in 2018, many changes began taking place. Job duties no longer mirrored those when the position was offered, compensation was decreasing, and paid time off was being reduced. In the meantime, the stress, work, and hours increased, and my employer offered no support for questions or assistance with new processes.  I hit an unhappy place. I dreaded going to work, I was constantly emotional and frustrated, and it seemed like I was always working. But I couldn’t leave my career of fifteen years, right? After weeks of going back and forth, weighing out the pros and cons, and having numerous conversations with my husband, I decided to put in my two-week notice.If I would have applied the five steps to critical thinking mentioned by Agoos (2016), I feel the decision may have come more straightforward and sooner. When formulating a question for step one, I needed to clarify what I was looking to do. I knew I was frustrated, exhausted, and emotional with my job, but why? The “what if” thoughts, along with fear, anxiety, and more stress, consumed me when coming to my decision, but I needed to see past leaving a career of fifteen years. My happiness, sanity, and family life are entirely too essential and were lacking while continuing in my previous job. The question was clear: Would I be happy if I stayed in my previous career?Gathering information for step two was more challenging than anticipated and a little foggy. I knew the job role was changing; I was doing more work for less pay and working longer hours with no support from management. However, I attempted to gather information from my supervisor about the bigger picture. I had asked if the implemented changes were temporary or long-term. There were also rumors about my position (there were ten people who did what I did) being eliminated atop the changes taking place. Unfortunately, my superior could not confirm nor deny the rumors. However, her lack of compassion made me feel as if the rumors were true. Regardless, I was not happy doing the current role.Applying the information, in my opinion, was the hardest. Furthering the “what if” more questions now followed questions I already had after talking with my manager. “Would my position be eliminated, and how confident do I feel about this”? “Can I continue doing my current role and change my attitude and feelings toward my position”? Questions like these went on for the weeks leading up to my notice mostly ruled by fear of the unknown.When considering the implications, I felt somewhat relieved yet terrified. If I stayed in my then-current role, I thought I would continue to be unhappy. Negative feelings toward my position started turning into negative feelings toward the company. Furthermore, chit-chat with coworkers fueled the fire, and I knew it would take something drastic to change. No matter if I changed my thinking, I couldn’t escape, ignore, or change my peers’ feelings. This was terrifying! I did not want to be surrounded by so much negativity. Furthermore, I did not have another job lined up if I were going to quit. While this was scary in itself, I felt somewhat of a sense of relief because I knew I could get back to being my happy self. I love to consider other points of view and feel this is a crucial step to critical thinking. Being open to different thought processes and points of view allows me to take advantage of knowledge. We may learn something new or use a different way of thinking to open doors to more thought processes. Considering my manager’s point of view offered some insight, though it wasn’t enough to convince me to stay. She mentioned that the company has always taken care of its employees and has an open-door policy. True, they HAD taken care of their employees, though they were the ones implementing the policies and procedures that were creating my duress.While I did not consider the five steps for critical thinking when deciding to leave my previous career, I feel I may have unconsciously. Looking back, many of the steps presented themselves in my decision process, and I would not have changed a thing!