iExamen #2

Spending one day saying what is only kind, useful, and true was more of a challenge than I imagined it to be. We don’t always realize the meaning behind our words, and we may not always think before we speak. Taking that extra second to consider if my words were worth saying and if they would be useful and kind to who I am speaking to made me consider how I usually communicate.

I decide to complete this exercise on Friday October 27^th, and almost immediately I realized that it would be more of a challenge than anticipated. My roommate and I usually start our mornings talking to each other about almost anything that comes to mind—whether it be funny tweets, our plans for the day, or just complete nonsense. On this morning, it was nearly silent. This was followed my questions from her and my other roommates, asking me if I was “feeling okay” or “upset about something”, because I was being abnormally quiet. I decided to inform them about this exercise, and interestingly enough, they had no question as to why this morning was more quiet than others.

As I continued my day, I found it a bit easier to keep my words kind, useful, and true, but it was still something that took a little extra thought. I know that I am not an unkind person by any means, but I found myself making sure that was I was saying when communicating over the phone and texting was particularly kind, because I know from experience that words can often be misinterpreted over text. I believe that we as individuals don’t always recognize how powerful out words are, and how much they can negatively or positively affect others.

Throughout the day, I also paid attention to how others communicated and asked myself if they were following the idea of only speaking when it is kind, useful, and true. I found that many students on campus communicate similarly to how my friends and I do. We love to joke around, and sometimes this could be us teasing each other. I considered this for a while, and thought about if I would consider this not useful or kind, because I believe it was an important aspect of my friendship with others.

Overall, this assignment taught me the power of our words and how we communicate. It helped me realize that taking a second to think before speaking could make a big difference in communicating. It also made me consider and understand my intentions when speaking to others. There were times during the day where I may have said something mindless to a friend I’m with or sent a text without thinking about it, and this could lead to negative consequences. I really enjoyed this assignment, and I believe if everyone took a day to analyze how they communicate and if they are speaking kindly, truthfully, and usefully, everyone’s communication could change at least a little.