Chloe Pond
Mr. Davis
AP Lit and Comp, period 2
3 June 2020
The Self in Isolation
“Becoming” and “Becoming Peace,” while similar in title, present information from
experiences very different from one another. Despite the differences in nearly every aspect of the
pieces, the writing of both Michelle Obama and Thich Nhat Hanh contain lessons and patterns of
a related nature. In a time of uprooted routines and new lifestyles, the lessons presented by both
authors are prevalent in the current lives of so many people. Now more than ever, prioritizing
individuals’ needs by returning to the roots of human nature is necessary for content and
balanced days in isolation. Thich Nhat Hanh and Michelle Obama demonstrate this idea of
promoting self-comfort in their literature through the telling of trial and error amidst unique and
trying times.
As we are all grappling for a sense of normalcy in the midst of a pandemic, emphasizing
the basics should not be forgotten. In striving to achieve full enlightenment, the Buddha
disobeyed the understanding that no food or drink is to be consumed during that search. In doing
what his peers deemed as “giving up,” he found that he gained focus and strength more powerful
than he had ever before experienced. The simple act of accepting milk and rice had fueled him
and quickly delivered him the understanding and loving nature that he had been pondering over
for weeks. In the describing of the Buddha’s enlightenment, Thich Nhat Hanh demonstrates
consequences of overlooking and ignoring fundamental needs. While most of us are not avoiding
eating and drinking, this example can be applied to various unhealthy habits that may be forming
after days, weeks, and months of isolation. Just as it was necessary in order for the Buddha to
reach enlightenment, the need to attend to basic human desires must be emphasized during times
of distress. Reminders to put the phone down, get some Vitamin D, and talk to your family can
be compared to the Buddha’s choice to drink the milk and eat the rice. In the case of the Buddha,
these little steps in the right direction made the difference between struggling with mental
exhaustion and finding the path to true enlightenment. In present times, these little steps are the
difference between discovering a comfortable quarantine groove and battling with the loneliness
of isolation.
Along with the Buddha, Michelle Obama demonstrated the necessity she felt to prioritize
her individual needs as she transitioned to the roll of First Lady and carried out her time in the
White House. Writing that she demanded she be home long enough to put her girls to bed each
night and hit the gym each morning, the previous First Lady stressed how vital it was to
prioritize this schedule during campaigning and while raising kids under constant public
scrutiny. Her family was thrown into the public arena, suddenly the focus of millions of eyes
across the country. She had to learn how to adapt to this strange lifestyle almost overnight.
Parallels can be drawn between this quick shift and the quarantine measures that seemed to
spring up in a matter of hours. Just as it served Mrs. Obama in a time full of uncertainties and
new circumstances, simplifying our days by focusing on keeping our bodies going—eating,
hydrating, sleeping, exercising—yields the best-case scenario for individuals that find
themselves living through unusual times.
In both instances, the Buddha and Michelle Obama had to make the choice to prioritize
their personal health. The easier route would have been to succumb to the group and deny the
milk and rice, let the campaign team dictate the schedule. These individuals, though, recognized
that they could and should place their needs above the convenience of the whole. In doing so, the
Buddha and Mrs. Obama did not harm the cause of the whole, rather they contributed to it by
establishing a lifestyle that fit them and their needs while providing them with the personal
stability and ability to contribute heavily to the greater good. In the end, the prioritizing of such
individual needs gave the Buddha the knowledge needed to lead others to enlightenment and
Michelle Obama the wherewithal to help lead a country. Acknowledging when your health—be
it mental, emotional, or physical—is slipping is a necessary part of maintaining a quality life in
quarantine. Waking up each day determined to perfect a recipe or get ahead in school or pick up
a new hobby wears a person down. Right now, survival should be the goal. Managing to create a
comfortable, enjoyable space both internally and externally is of great importance in this strange
reality we call 2020. Through the writings of Obama and Hanh, people today can relate their
situations to and learn from the experiences shared by the Buddha and the former First Lady.
Thousands of years of human experience passed between the enlightenment of the Buddha and
the electing of the Obamas, yet the realization that it is necessary to prioritize meeting the basic
needs of individuals during times of unease remained true.