Rosemary Sorgi

Kind, useful, and true. Immediately when I read the prompt for this iExamen, I thought this would be a piece of cake. I pride myself on being a truthful person, even if it isn’t the easiest thing. However, when people describe me, they usually use the word “blunt”, which has somewhat of a negative connotation. So for Saturday, October 19, I dedicated myself to only saying honest things that were also kind and useful.

            Although I previously stated I am an honest person, honestly was actually harder than I thought. The only reason I found this to be true was because I was home this Saturday. When people asked me how I was enjoying school, I found it easier to simply say, “It’s great!” rather than explain that I’m actually not that happy at school. However, I was honest and said, “It’s been a rough adjustment”. Sadly, I was able to tell that is not what people wanted or expected to hear. There are certain questions that are only asked to be polite, or asked with a certain answer expected. We all know them, from family parties around the holidays, or from quick conversations we hold with people in passing. Also, I’ve found that when being asked how you are, you should always answer “good”. People don’t actually want to hear you are unhappy, or even great, because that would require further questioning and conversation. For the most part, I found it very easy to only speak in honest terms this Saturday.

            I found it a little bit harder to only say nice things. It’s hard not to comment on things you don’t like, or on people you have a negative opinion on. It’ s only normal and natural for us to voice our complaints. However, Saturday I really strived to only say kind things about people and things. It was hard when there is so much bad in the world to talk about. Nothing we’re shown on the news is positive or uplifting. I believe that this brings us down as a people. Constantly being shown negative images and stories makes us a more negative people. By only saying nice things Saturday, I was counteracting that. I believe it was helpful and uplifting not only for me, but also for the people I came into contact with that day.

            Finally, the aspect I struggled with: useful. It was very difficult for me to only share useful pieces of information…after all; I was spending the day with my parents. Many times I found myself holding back from making a negative or snide comment when given the opportunity. I’m a fairly sarcastic person, so in a way saying only positive things went against my nature. When people said snide things to me, it was difficult not to respond with a similarly snide or negative comment.  After a couple hours, it became easier. The time I spent with my family was improved because I was holding myself back from negative.          

            I believe that this experiment was similar to wearing a rubber band and snapping it when you find yourself doing a bad habit: respective behavior makes things easier to remember. By constantly reminding myself to be kind, truthful and positive, I slowly became more and more like that myself.