Yesterday, Mike and I went to our first ever rodeo! I don't know if that sentence warrants an exclamation mark, but I feel that it should for people who love the rodeo. Since I was trying to blend in, I thought I should get excited about it.
We went to the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo, and the reason we decided to go is because it takes place only a couple of blocks from our new house. We wanted to see what all the hype is about, because around here people seem to love the the rodeo as much as air conditioning on a hot day.
When we got there, I have to admit it seemed promising in the excitement department. There was music playing, and a very energetic, cowboy-sounding announcer. There were plenty of concessions, horses, and people walking about in cowboy gear. Let me stop right there and say I DID NOT DRESS LIKE A COWGIRL. I wanted to blend in, but those outfits have never appealed to me. Thankfully for us, there were plenty of other people not wearing their rodeo getup.
When the rodeo began, I was loving it because there were lots of horses, and I am practically in love with horses. I like to watch them, but after a while, I start to wish I had my own horse, or that I could at least go horseback riding. This jealousy was part of what spoiled the rodeo for me.
The other part that made the rodeo not-so-appealing was that it seemed to be like a long advertisement for various businesses, beer, and patriotism. This advertisement was only periodically interspersed with horse riding, cattle wrangling, and a very un-funny rodeo clown. I have nothing against advertising and patriotism, but when I go to a rodeo I want to see a rodeo. I don't want to spend half the time standing with my hand over my heart for America or listening to incoherent babble from the rodeo clown.
Mike and I ended up leaving about halfway through. I didn't hate the rodeo, but I probably won't go back either. Next time I have a horse craving, I will find a place where I can ride a horse myself. The rodeo is just not for me.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
Communication
I am getting really lazy about posting, so hopefully I can pick it up. Today I don't have to work and I think I am coming down with a cold, so it is a good day to relax and do some blogging.
Lately I have been more fascinated with how people communicate. When someone speaks in your language, you know instantly what it means. Not only that, but speech can promote a wide array of thoughts and ideas and convey huge amounts of information. Think about if you were looking for something. If you can speak to someone, you can easily ask where it is and that person can just as easily tell you where it is if they know. But now think about trying to find something without being able to speak or write. It would be much more difficult if not impossible.
I think we take speech for granted a lot of the time. We get lazy about our communication, and that's when misunderstandings happen. We don't give allowances to people who have a hard time communicating such as deaf people, blind people, autistic people, people who can't read or write, and many others. Why are we so harsh on those who can't do what we take for granted and those who communicate in a different way? We should try our best to understand everyone, no matter how they communicate.
Maybe the reason I have been thinking about communication is because I have been reading a book called Thinking Fast and Slow. This book deals mostly with the way people think, as the title indicates. It describes two systems of thinking - System 1 and System 2. "System 1 operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control. System 2 allocates attention to the effortful mental activities that demand it, including complex computations."
Anyway, I won't go into the book too much because I haven't finished it and I also wouldn't do it justice. But it is very fascinating, and I would highly recommend it.
I only mention it because System 1 makes me think of nonverbal communication because it allows us to do things like understand someone is mad just by looking at their face or detect hostility in a voice. Although nonverbal communication cannot convey complex ideas, it can sometimes give as much information as verbal communication.
I think I don't write as well when I am sick, so at the risk of being convoluted, I will wrap up this post. I just think communication is interesting, both verbal and non verbal. I think it is important to not take communication for granted and to be careful how you communicate, because you might end up communicating the wrong message. Also, go easy on those who have a hard time communicating because someday you may be the one who no one understands.
Lately I have been more fascinated with how people communicate. When someone speaks in your language, you know instantly what it means. Not only that, but speech can promote a wide array of thoughts and ideas and convey huge amounts of information. Think about if you were looking for something. If you can speak to someone, you can easily ask where it is and that person can just as easily tell you where it is if they know. But now think about trying to find something without being able to speak or write. It would be much more difficult if not impossible.
I think we take speech for granted a lot of the time. We get lazy about our communication, and that's when misunderstandings happen. We don't give allowances to people who have a hard time communicating such as deaf people, blind people, autistic people, people who can't read or write, and many others. Why are we so harsh on those who can't do what we take for granted and those who communicate in a different way? We should try our best to understand everyone, no matter how they communicate.
Maybe the reason I have been thinking about communication is because I have been reading a book called Thinking Fast and Slow. This book deals mostly with the way people think, as the title indicates. It describes two systems of thinking - System 1 and System 2. "System 1 operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control. System 2 allocates attention to the effortful mental activities that demand it, including complex computations."
Anyway, I won't go into the book too much because I haven't finished it and I also wouldn't do it justice. But it is very fascinating, and I would highly recommend it.
I only mention it because System 1 makes me think of nonverbal communication because it allows us to do things like understand someone is mad just by looking at their face or detect hostility in a voice. Although nonverbal communication cannot convey complex ideas, it can sometimes give as much information as verbal communication.
I think I don't write as well when I am sick, so at the risk of being convoluted, I will wrap up this post. I just think communication is interesting, both verbal and non verbal. I think it is important to not take communication for granted and to be careful how you communicate, because you might end up communicating the wrong message. Also, go easy on those who have a hard time communicating because someday you may be the one who no one understands.
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