In my group of friends, I have never been one to back down and let my opinion go unheard. In a group of strangers, I have never been one to speak up or let my opinion be heard. Since coming to Penn State, I have realized just how quiet I become with new people compared to my high school self surrounded by friends. One could say that it was the immaturity of a high school student that allowed me to speak my mind at all times.
I would argue that it was my confidence that made me outspoken. When I am with people I am familiar with, I know that they will not judge me for what I say or think but for who I am. I am sad to say that when I am around people I am unfamiliar with, I tend to judge people for what they say. It is so much easier to evaluate someone on what they say rather than taking the time to get to know their true self. I think too many people these days take advantage of that. How many people have you decided that you knew everything about them based on a single opinion they gave? Looking back, I realize that I have denied many people a chance simply because it took less time to judge them one opinion. After watching the video describing the difference between what we think and who we are, I have tried to put that idea into action and not be so judgmental.
I have never meant to be so critical towards people and since the beginning of this course I find myself being more aware of my rhetoric and others. Opinions are held in high respect to their owners and it is hard to debate them with others. While reading the first chapter, I found myself agreeing with the ancients’ ideas of rhetoric more than today’s idea of it. I believe that we have become much too factual and tend to look down on opinions. Opinions make us who we are and it is not fair to not take them into consideration. When we read that, I started to become more confident in my opinions.
I hope others will realize that one opinion does not define who a person is. With this course, I hope I can find my voice once again in a group of strangers.
I agree that the ancient form of rhetoric is much better and informational. I think opinions are important and we should not always be relying completly on facts.
ReplyDeleteI love how honest you are in this post, because it really takes a strong person to be able to see their own flaws. The idea that people judge others on opinions is so true, and something that I'm glad you pointed you. I'll be taking all of this into consideration next time I'm in that type of situation.
ReplyDeleteThis was nothing shy of wonderful, Molly. My time in this place has taught me that I am much like you. Just last week I learned a very powerful message from my best friend. I tend to judge myself critically and that transfers to how I treat others as well. I judge them harshly because I judge myself harshly. I am slowly learning to give myself more room to mess up and in doing so I have given others the same opportunity.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your honesty in this post. It was refreshing and new. You did not hide behind fancy vocabulary or elusive metaphors. You were you in your raw and fundamental form. I appreciated the read.