Listen or Read - I like options …
Welcome to the course. As I prepare for my inaugural dissertation course next semester, I wish to share some of my reflections prior to embarking on this academic journey. To begin with, I would like to highlight that my dissertation topic will be one that elicits considerable debate, as indicated in the coursework. I have taken a firm position against the practice of confining animals, chaining them, and parading them as pets. This stance will provide insight into the direction of my dissertation. I opted for a controversial subject because it is a discourse that warrants attention, particularly from the perspective of someone who understands the appeal of pet ownership, yet is also aware of the historical failures associated with this practice in the United States. I believe this may represent one of the significant challenges that God has set before us: the ability to recognize the humanity in beings deemed to possess lesser value than ourselves. This leads me to my second topic: my identity as a plant-based herbivore for the majority of my life. My choice to adopt a herbivorous diet was not solely based on the belief that consuming animals is detrimental to them, but rather because I recognized it as harmful to my own well-being. I understood that introducing dead matter into a living body would not yield favorable health outcomes, and my health has always been of paramount importance to me.
My appreciation for health was cultivated through my experiences working with elderly patients, transitioning from a Certified Nursing Assistant to a prospective doctoral candidate in health sciences. I observed that despite the wealth of many of my clients, residing in exquisite homes from Darien, Connecticut, to Greenwich, Connecticut, if their health was compromised, it rendered their financial status inconsequential.
As a young girl, I recall obtaining my certified nursing assistant certificate and being called to work in the affluent areas of Darien, Connecticut. Observing the residents, I noted the dichotomy of their lives; some appeared to be decaying while others thrived. I recognized that certain individuals possessed pleasant personalities, whereas others exhibited unpleasant traits. Additionally, I observed a range of physical conditions, from frailty to strength, which led me to aspire to be among those who were robust and intact. Consequently, I resolved to avoid consuming anything that was dead or not thriving. As I embark on this first dissertation course, numerous thoughts have emerged. This past semester has been seamless, largely due to my exceptional professor, who facilitates learning in a manner that acknowledges our aspirations to become health research doctors. I hope that some of you will consider pursuing higher education, or at the very least, find value in my journey and extract insights that resonate with you. My ambition has always been to be a professional student, a lifelong learner.
I did not anticipate that this would evolve into a passion for learning, transforming me into a dedicated researcher and writer, constantly seeking information, connecting ideas, formulating hypotheses, and using myself and those around me as subjects to validate my thoughts on health and science. I must assert that I have proven myself to be quite the scientist, and I refuse to be silenced. I believe it is advantageous for me to utilize my dissertation as an opportunity to challenge longstanding paradigms, even if it seems daunting to attempt to recreate the Animal Kingdom. Nonetheless, I am confident that such transformations will occur in due time, but until then I am interested in your thoughts - I will be attaching some of the videos and some of the work that I’ve done regarding this anomaly to date. I love for you to look over it and be my professor and grade me according to it and give me ideas as to whether or not you think this would be a great dissertation and why or why not?
Before I post the links a crucial note to my fellow Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) ….
https://criticalthinkingfreecourse.substack.com/p/trapping-and-enslaving-gods-creations?r=4zcqbv
https://criticalthinkingfreecourse.substack.com/p/dogs-and-cats-coexisting-closely?r=4zcqbv
https://substack.com/@whypublichealthmatters/note/p-197685994?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=4zcqbv
https://substack.com/@whypublichealthmatters/note/c-251839931?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=4zcqbv
https://substack.com/@whypublichealthmatters/note/p-195526020?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=4zcqbv
Course your assignment for the semester is linked above -
