how you constitute a unique whole that is greater than the sum of the “parts” that have shaped you

We began this semester with the famous adage from Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

I’ve tried, in the course of the semester, to keep Socrates’ words in mind. We’ve examined a lot of issues, probably too many issues for such a short time frame, and I’m sure a lot of the readings we’ve done have seemed at times overly analytical, too technical or scientific or philosophical or just downright odd, but I hope you’ve recognized in most of them a connection to your life and to the life of the planet we share.

If this course has taught you anything, I hope it’s taught you this: that critical thinking isn’t just a school skill, but a life skill. And with that in mind, I’d like you to respond to our recent readings on holism by examining your life, or some aspect(s) of your life, from a holistic perspective.

In other words, write a brief essay of at least 750 words that shows:

how you constitute a unique whole that is greater than the sum of the “parts” that have shaped you;
and/or

how you constitute an invaluable, individual “part” of a whole that is greater than yourself.
Some notes:

1. This assignment is intended as an opportunity for reflection. It’s a chance to do some exploring, but since it’s yourself that you’re exploring you won’t have to rocket off into outer space or dive down into the ocean’s depths. You won’t even have to leave your house – which is good, because we’re pretty much in lockdown mode again.

All I’m looking for is some thoughtfulness, awareness, and insight (which will require some outsight as well). In grading the essay I’ll value thinking and self-expression over formal perfection. If you have something to say and you say it in a clear, direct, organized way, you’ll do fine.

2. Don’t bother with all the tedious academic stuff that cluttered our previous writing assignments. No need to cite sources — you’re writing a personal essay here. Just provide your own quick definition of holism (or use Christakis’ definition, within quotation marks), and don’t bother about citations or a works cited list because your audience is me, and I know where you got your definition. Once you’ve defined this key term you can jump right into your exploration.

3. The parts that make the whole of you are not limited to your genes, cells, tissues, etc., so please don’t interpret “parts” too literally or physically. You don’t need to talk about body parts. I certainly don’t want to read about body parts. If you choose to write from a physiological perspective, that’s fine and interesting. But the parts that make you who you are can be many things: family, gender, race, religion, culture, education, key experiences, the place where you were born and/or raised, the friends you grew up with, etc. And the whole that these parts helped construct is an amazing amalgamation of all of these elements: you!

4. Some of us aren’t comfortable talking about the personal details of our lives. If that’s the case, many less personal aspects of your life will work.

Your education, for example, might serve as a good illustration of a holistic process. There have already been many parts to it: grade levels, subjects, teachers, successes, failures, etc. Those parts have been paths to the whole student that you’ve become. But of course your education is by no means finished – it’s just a part of your larger plan. So it’s also part of a greater whole, a process that will include more classes, a major focus and more advanced levels of schooling, which will lead to greater knowledge and expertise as well as wisdom, which will lead to a career, financial security, a contributing role in society, and so on. So you can write about your education, viewing it as either a part of you, the future whole of you, or both. You could even narrow your focus and take a holistic view of this past semester – not just this class, but all of your classes combined, each a part of the whole experience.

5. So the assignment offers you the option of examining your life as a part, or as a whole. Both views are interesting if you take the time to think about them. In a short essay, however, it will likely be better to examine just one of them; a tighter focus will allow more detail. But the choice is totally up to you. Whatever works.