The Death of Ordinariness: Living, Learning, and Relating in the Age of Anxiety

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Christopher N. Poulos, Associate Professor & Department Head (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: On September 11, 2001, ordinariness died. In its place, a new anxiety was born. In this personal story of anxiety and response, the author reflects on events as they have unfolded in the days following September 11. Focusing on the possibilities invoked by anxiety, the author also questions the limits of anxiety. Can anxiety be both a springboard and a ceiling of possibility? In the Age of Anxiety, we may need to rethink our relationships with anxiety, learning, and one another. Events such as those of September 11 may well force us to question how everyday life is changed by interruption, disruption, and anxiety and then to question how anxiety might be extended and used to spark our collective creativity.

Additional Information

Publication
Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 8:3, 288-301.
Language: English
Date: 2002
Keywords
September 11, 2001, Anxiety, Fear, Disasters, Stories, Despair, Reactions

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