Our Fireside Chat was one of the greatest experiences I have had all semester. I was so surprised and truly touched at how amazing it was. I was extremely impressed by everyone's stories and by the atmosphere of the night. We have all gotten to know each other pretty well this semester, being in so many classes together. However, I felt that our Fireside Chat allowed us to exceed the level of comfort and understanding of each other that we had previous. I loved getting to know everyone at an even more personal level. Furthermore, I was impressed by peoples' willingness to share things so personal to them.
After the performance, I realized how high of an opinion I have of everyone in this class. I always looked up to everyone and thought they were wonderful people, but this night just increased that sense I had exponentially. Everyone truly is amazing and has so many amazing qualities. I have grown to love and appreciate this group of people, and the Fireside Chat only enhanced these feelings.
Much like my impressions from the Exercise in Empathy, I also realized how humble and full of wisdom everyone is. Sometimes we go through life feeling alone and that nobody else understands us. If we have this negative attitude, we cannot get help and advice from anyone because we are too blocked off to the idea. This night helped me realize that a lot of people are going through just as difficult, if not more so, trials than I am. I am so impressed by how everyone in our class has responded in certain situations. This gives me a feeling of happiness and hope for the future that I, and others, can handle tough situations and get through them in one piece. And the wisdom of everyone was tremendous. I could feel the maturity of everyone, based on the specific story they told, or their reaction in the situation when it happened.
My performance went a lot differently than expected. I usually love performing in front of people. I do not get nervous, or shake, or anything of that matter. But when I told my story, everything changed. I was so overcome with emotion. That story is not one that I have told many people. It is a very personal moment that is hard to return to because of the fear and pain I went through. Deciding to tell that story was definitely hard. I was uncomfortable with the idea because I feared how emotional I would get. As I practiced, it really was not that difficult. I thought I was going to get through telling my story easily. But the moment I began, a switch turned inside of me. I would not say I had the typical nerves. Rather, I was shaking so much because of what I was saying. It hits home so much. And saying everything out loud in a way felt like I was reliving it. Telling that story was harder than I had imagined. I actually felt some of those terrifying and angry feelings that I felt ten years ago. But in the end, what hit me most was talking about my sister today and the beliefs I have in her. I love that we talked about our beliefs. That is what made all the difference to me in this project, and honestly that is why I got so emotional. Our beliefs define who we are; they are what motivates us through our days. I hold my beliefs so near and dear to me because they are the essence of me.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Extra Credit Assignment
I have noticed a general trend in society that very few people overcome. Not only are people too busy for anything besides work or school, but there is such a strong emphasis on perfection. Because of this tendency, people stick to the one thing they are good at and very rarely branch out. I believe this to be a great sadness in how society runs today, and I would love to see more people doing more things, because it is fun and enjoyable. I would love for us to return a little bit more to the Renaissance Man.
I propose an assignment to do just this. I would include it in our Belief section because it deals in the belief in human capabilities and the belief in ourselves. In class I would start by talking about this idea of the Renaissance Man; how people used to have so many talents because they worked to become great at many things, including language, music, dance, poetry, etc. I then would direct the class discussion to self confidence and self esteem. I would talk about how people become discouraged when they are not good at something. It is important to emphasize the busy society we are in - that people only have time for work related things. People so often load their lives with so much work that they have little time to rest or do anything else fun. Because of this specialized world we live in today, people become amazing at a specific talent, but lack in others. But a more "Renaissance" type person is much more rounded and fulfilled. Yes, it is wonderful to be so skilled at something in particular, but try to have other talents. Try to make time for other things. Try to enjoy life and do those things you are too busy or too scared to do. This assignment deals with Belief because it is the belief that we are capable people and that humanity truly can be amazing when people "spend themselves in a worthy cause."
The media example I would use for this project is my favorite quote, The Man In the Arena, by Teddy Roosevelt.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
This relates to what I would discus because it highlights the act of actually TRYING. So many people give up, even before they start. But in this quote, Teddy Roosevelt emphasizes how the importance is in TRYING. We do not need to be the best. We do not need to live in fear of failure. We do not need to let others determine what we will do in our lives. We should decide what we want to do, and not be limited to one thing, and the one thing we are good at. This quote shows the belief in a strong person who desires to do better and be better. Trying new things, whether we are good at them of not, is better than the bitterness of never trying them at all.
Assignment Description: Choose something that you have always wanted to do, but either never have time for, or were too afraid for fear of failure. This could be creating a painting, writing a piece of music, exercising, trying out for something, etc. Make sure this is something that you have thought about before but do not do on a regular basis. Spend the week creating or doing this particular work or activity. How did you feel after completing the project? Did you feel more accomplished? How did this activity help you grow? Did it help you grow? Keep a journal of your impressions and feelings during your progress. Did this help you find meaning and purpose in doing different things? Do you think you will keep doing it or other things you don't usually have "time" for? Do you feel it is important to be more of a "Renaissance Man?"
I propose an assignment to do just this. I would include it in our Belief section because it deals in the belief in human capabilities and the belief in ourselves. In class I would start by talking about this idea of the Renaissance Man; how people used to have so many talents because they worked to become great at many things, including language, music, dance, poetry, etc. I then would direct the class discussion to self confidence and self esteem. I would talk about how people become discouraged when they are not good at something. It is important to emphasize the busy society we are in - that people only have time for work related things. People so often load their lives with so much work that they have little time to rest or do anything else fun. Because of this specialized world we live in today, people become amazing at a specific talent, but lack in others. But a more "Renaissance" type person is much more rounded and fulfilled. Yes, it is wonderful to be so skilled at something in particular, but try to have other talents. Try to make time for other things. Try to enjoy life and do those things you are too busy or too scared to do. This assignment deals with Belief because it is the belief that we are capable people and that humanity truly can be amazing when people "spend themselves in a worthy cause."
The media example I would use for this project is my favorite quote, The Man In the Arena, by Teddy Roosevelt.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
This relates to what I would discus because it highlights the act of actually TRYING. So many people give up, even before they start. But in this quote, Teddy Roosevelt emphasizes how the importance is in TRYING. We do not need to be the best. We do not need to live in fear of failure. We do not need to let others determine what we will do in our lives. We should decide what we want to do, and not be limited to one thing, and the one thing we are good at. This quote shows the belief in a strong person who desires to do better and be better. Trying new things, whether we are good at them of not, is better than the bitterness of never trying them at all.
Assignment Description: Choose something that you have always wanted to do, but either never have time for, or were too afraid for fear of failure. This could be creating a painting, writing a piece of music, exercising, trying out for something, etc. Make sure this is something that you have thought about before but do not do on a regular basis. Spend the week creating or doing this particular work or activity. How did you feel after completing the project? Did you feel more accomplished? How did this activity help you grow? Did it help you grow? Keep a journal of your impressions and feelings during your progress. Did this help you find meaning and purpose in doing different things? Do you think you will keep doing it or other things you don't usually have "time" for? Do you feel it is important to be more of a "Renaissance Man?"
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