Wednesday, March 13, 2013

iExamen 2


Stephen Sharpe
iExamen II
Dr. Ellis

Communication

I woke up this morning and began to monitor my language. I made many discoveries about the nature of true, kind, and useful communication. My first observation was that my communication with my brother is direct, useful, and true. However I realized that it is not always kind, because I feel more at liberty to express my irritations with him because he is my brother. I also noticed that I only speak to him about things that are of chief importance such as spirituality, family, and grades. I found that I don’t socialize with him in the same way that I socialize with my friends. In this way my communication with him is useful, true and meaningful.
I also realized that communication with friends sometimes reflects the mirror opposite of communication with my brother. After the day, I realized that communication between my friends was kind and cordial, but it was not always useful or true. For example, I realized that sometimes I tend to draw from obscure memories to tell stories that may or may not be authentic whenever it is socially convenient. Other times, I find myself in discussions with friends about topics of little substance like the weather or video games in order to pass the time.
            Over the course of the day, I have also discovered that my communication is also sometimes untrue in the things that I choose to not say. For example, when I am speaking with a friend and he/she makes a point that I disagree with, I will not respond in order to keep the peace. However in my unresponsiveness, I am actually giving consent to what the person is saying. In my unresponsiveness, I am expressing something that is untrue.
            I did not know what to expect before I began the iExamen, and I was worried that I would not know what to look for. However at the end of the day, I realized that examining communication is not difficult at all. In fact, it should be something that a person does every day. I now believe that every day a person should ask himself or herself the question before speaking, “Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it compassionate?”  If everyone asked themselves this question, I believe that communication would be more meaningful, and authentic. 

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