IExamen 2

     This past Sunday I followed the instructions and completed the second iExamen that followed the ideas of the first iExamen however this iExamen was more introspective. The instructions for this assignment were to only say things that were kind, useful, and true. Although this was a difficult assignment at first, it was easier as the day went along. This assignment forced me to really think before I spoke and many times I had to catch myself before saying something that would break these rules. This second iExamen was similar to the first as it allowed me to self observe and in my opinion, self observation is healthy, informative, and useful.

     On Sunday morning, I was abruptly woken up by friends who came into my room and shook me and my roommate until we woke up so that we could all get breakfast. Although I immediately wanted to yell at them for waking us up, I checked my phone and remembered that I was not allowed to say anything unkind. During breakfast, I told my friends about the iExamen that I was participating in and they were all very excited that I would not be able to say anything unkind. Although it may have been different, this breakfast was a little better because of the added positivity and lack of negative comments.

     The middle of the day was not very difficult as my friends and I watched two movies and the talking was very limited. It was after the movies, when I Facetimed my parents that they noticed I was acting a little different. During the first couple minutes of the conversation, I told them about the rules of the iExamen and they both immediately commented that they really enjoyed the rules of the iExamen and that they wish I always had to follow the rules. It was very funny yet I realized that it would not be a bad idea to do exercises like this more often. 

            The Jesuit belief of self-introspection is a very important thing to do and it will make everyone around you happier. It is critical to examine your personal behavior and recognize how your actions affect others around you. Going into Sunday, I was not very excited that I had to remain kind, useful, and true when speaking. However after participating, I learned that my friends and I don’t always say the nicest things to each other. Although we are usually messing around, it is important to throw in a nice comment every once in a while to brighten the mood.