Iexamen 2

IEXAMEN 2

Kind,Useful, and True

Going into this second challenge of self-observation, I was much more aware of the impact and findings that are made possible from an exercise like this. When we completed the first communication assignment, I came to realize just how valuable communication really is and how different methods of communication can really be. For this assignment though, the focus will be more on the content of my communication throughout a normal day in my life. When I warned my roommates that this Thursday everything they heard me say would be only things that are kind, useful, and true- my one roommate responded “Ha, good luck with that!” This is not to say that by I am habitually mean or say things that are not kind- but the interactions between my roommates and I are almost always jokingly mean. This is one of the biggest adaptations I found myself making throughout the day, however it was certainly not the only one.

Prior to this assignment, I would have liked to assume that everything I communicated in my daily life was just naturally kind, useful, and true but this was not the case. This does not suggest that the things I say are not kind, useful, or true but those qualities are not the main aspect of everything I say. Like I said, this exercise challenged me mainly in my communication with my peers and friends. To demonstrate my relationship with my friends, let me pull an example from a reading we did in class. In the novel, The Whale Rider we took a deeper look at the relationship between Nanny Flowers and Koro. In the book it almost appeared to the readers as if the two of them hated each other, but instead in our analysis we said their harsh words and constant fighting could really just prove their deep love for each other. Likewise, my relationship with my friends is one where we make fun of each other for the fun of it. This is not done in a mean way at all, but instead actually as a sign of affection and shows our comfort with each other. My friends had said it was almost like conversing with a new person because they felt like they should in conversation with me also only speak things that are kind, useful, and true. Reflecting upon these interactions, I see the value in speaking things of these qualities to my friends but it also diminished my jeering banter with them.

I specifically chose to do this exercise on a Thursday because I wanted to see how it impacted my contribution in the classroom. Overall, I believe the focus on what I was saying and how I was saying it enlightened my classroom experience. I found myself engaging in the content more and participating every change I found to say something useful. In the classroom, most of the things I would naturally say are kind, useful, and true; however, with an attempt to understand this more deeply I contributed to class discussion way more. This is a practice I want to take away from this exercise and keep applying throughout each day. I was able to kindly ask questions of my peers for an assignment we were tackling in Information Systems and conversely when they had questions I was about to give them useful responses. The importance of kind, useful, and true knowledge being shared in the classroom is truly beyond valuable.

            With technology it was a lot harder to determine how things were being conveyed from my own point of view and those I was talking to. Although from my end what I was texting had been conveyed with kindness, usefulness, and truth in mind- It could have been interpreted in many different ways from the receiver. Similar to our first self-observation assignment, I noticed how technology hinders us in the way we communicate. This exercise helped me realize that we cannot control the manner in which our messages are interpreted via technology as opposed to in person how the way in which we speak and our tone can determine a lot about our delivery. One of the most shocking realizations I made via within this activity was music. The music we are listening to and singing out loud is still a manner of communication and says a lot about ourselves. I listen to a variety of music- certain types when I am with my friends, when I am doing homework, or going for a long car drive. Now, the music I listened to with my friends this Thursday night certainly did not only contain words that are only kind, useful, and true. It was actually a struggle to stop myself from singing but usually I just belt out the words without even considering what they are saying. I was amazed by this observation because I was not expecting to learn anything about myself coming from the music I listen too.

            This just goes to show that the practice of self-observation holds many lessons to make you more aware of yourself. The practice of communicating things of kind, useful, and true nature to be valuable not only to myself but to those around me. Attending a Jesuit school, this is something I should try to pursue and apply every day. At the end of the day, my roommates congratulated me on making it the whole day without breaking the rules but quickly asked for me to return to just talking without thinking about it first.