ATA5:

     In our final assignment of the semester, we were tasked with completing five good deeds in a week and report on the overall experience. Despite the coronavirus pandemic making this task more challenging than usual, I still managed to find a way to complete five good deeds for people in my family and community. In the paper itself, we already had to report on how this change in our routine affected us, but I can elaborate on my experience in this post. My initial reaction to reading the assignment prompt was sort of disappointment as it really did not seem worth my time or that it would produce enough content to write about for an entire essay. However, at the end of the week, it became clear to me that my thoughts were quite wrong. 

     My good deeds included offering critical supplies to all of my neighbors, lending my precious laptop to my best friend so he can work from home, picking up my friend’s belongings from our office where we were both laid off and delivering them to her house because she was ill, babysitting my neighbor’s children since she is an essential worker, and finally washing some of my neighbor’s vehicles that were either sick or too old to wash them by themselves. I can only imagine the way the world might change both at the local level and globally if we tried to help each other out more often. In our American culture, we tend to regard accepting help as a sign of weakness, unless everyone is doing it such as the stimulus checks. However, this approach often means we hurt people in the process of advancing our personal interests instead of everyone moving towards greatness together for the sake of the collective good. I may not expect our culture to have such a dramatic shift anytime soon, but this assignment has shown me the true value of doing good deeds simply for the sake of wanting to help others. 

ATA4:

      For our fourth assignment, we were asked to fill out a survey on the styles of love and discuss how this relates to a relationship we are in or wish to be in one day. I am grateful to say that I believe I have found my soulmate, Alex, and was able to reflect on our partnership. After taking the survey, it was revealed to me that I am a selfless lover, one who values a relationship that evolves from a friendship, and someone who does not manipulate or play games with my partner. My results were absolutely evident of how I have grown as a man and how my emotional intelligence has developed in the wake of several bad relationships. I have been able to truly analyze how much of my connection with Alex is the result of my past experiences finally melding with my current relationship with him.

     After taking the survey, I also invited Alex to take it as well, and his results were similar to mine but it turns out he is even more of a selfless lover and places me as his very top priority. While he is a high priority of mine, I also have more things that I focus on such as college and a full-time job. My results have revealed to me that while Alex and I have differences, such as our scores in Eros and Agape, we balance each other out so much and complement one another at the same time. I believe two people should not be entirely too different when dating and this survey has proved to me similarities can be as powerful as differences in our relationships, and that we can create a balance that can blossom into a lifetime of happiness.

ATA3:

     In our third assignment, we watched the video of former Seinfield actor Michael Richard when he went on a racist tirade at a stand-up comedy show. The reaction he had was in response to a heckler in the crowd who happened to be black and this set off Richard’s response. He shouted the “n-word” several times, and also made sure to throw in some comments which were based in white supremacy. I found this assignment to be rather strange as it felt like we were being asked to justify his racism. However, after I began to write the assignment, I soon realized that the purpose of this task was to try and understand racist motives. 

     In modern American culture, we are facing a media-driven race war that seeks to label every transgression as being motivated by hatred. Even when someone of one race does something terrible that deserves a reaction, the person who reacts is called a racist. As a result, the passive nature of our behavior that is expected, again, regardless of race, culminates in an effect of developing hatred in psychologically vulnerable people. In this context, it is easy to understand how Richard reacted with so much hate, as he knew what could cause the most damage. The racial tension in our society is not only problematic, but volatile, and can explode in people who feel attacked.

“Standing up to the influence of media and the push towards a race war”

     I do not believe that Richard is truly racist and always has been, but I do believe because of the influences of the media and issues controlling emotions, his reaction came out as a racist tirade. Completing this assignment helped me further understand the influences of our society on how we find racist behavior so easy to go to when provoked by others.

ATA2:

     For our second assignment, we were asked to piece together a photo album that we believe represents ourselves. I decided to analyze several photos which created a timeline of my personality development from middle school to the present day. Rarely do we get the opportunity in college to be introspective and I found this assignment to give me much insight into my personal history. It has been quite a while since I have taken the time to reflect on the changes in my appearance over the years which was immediately clear when looking at the photos. However, it also became evident the changes in my personality once each memory associated with the photos were pieced together. Going even further, I realized that many of my significant changes to the self were the result of traumatic or other major events that occurred in my life.

     Studying PTSD and the impact of trauma on self-development has always been an interest of mine because of my past experiences. To elaborate, when I lost my father in my Junior year of high school, it had a profound effect on my self-development. Often, when I talk to others outside of class about PTSD and trauma, they see it as a separate problem within the mind of a person. Essentially, they see it as a blanket thrown over the core identity of the person that is covering it up. From my perspective, however, I perceive trauma as more directly connected with the identity of the individual because of its effects on how they develop. Therefore, it is incredibly important to not only help someone unpack their trauma and heal by acknowledging it but to also encourage them to be aware of how it has affected their personality and outlook on life. By accepting the trauma as a part of who they have become, it can become easier to separate it from everything else and begin the healing process.