ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the need to be resilient and daring on our journey of self-discovery, given the unforeseen Covid-19 situation. The need to reinvigorate oneself through self-discovery has never been more acute, despite the state of fear, panic, and uncertainty. The pandemic can be viewed as an opportunity to refresh oneself with abounding positivism, ikigai, appreciative living, creativity and flow, and prescencing. This chapter cites examples of self-discovery, demonstrating ways that allows us to brace ourselves for a new normal. These examples include new values for OD, emphasizing compassion and empathy, and how to learn from the current situation to create post-Covid-19 mental maps. This chapter also illustrates how we can still pursue our literary activities about William Shakespeare and William Wordsworth, with fresh insights about life, to sharpen our minds and be mentally alert in uncertain times. We can and should view Covid-19 as a crisis of opportunity and consider how it can unleash the best in us. We may engage in different ways through education for a fresh outlook on life. I refer to Anton Chekov and Nelson Mandela as examples from whom we can gain insights on hope, compassion, and creativity. I reinterpret lines from Shakespeare’s As You Like It, written 500 years ago, around the time of the Black Plague, seen from the new normal. I emphasize renewing human connectivity with society, our friends and colleagues, and our loved ones, as we all depend on each other. The epilogue summarizes how Covid-19 has altered our lifestyles, our ways of thinking, our OD models and concepts, and our overall development with just two words – “new normal” – and how we as social animals must learn to move forward to thrive in the new world.
