This past
Wednesday we had a fellow peer mentor, Easton, teach the class. When he started he had us do an ice breaker
that I had remembered from my first recitation freshmen year and I actually
really enjoyed it then so I was really looking forward to doing that
activity! Of course the game only allows
us to get to know basics about each other, but it was still fun and I really
enjoyed it so hopefully I’ll be able to do that ice breaker next year with my
students!
After the
ice breaker we did a little talking about different cultures and what can make them
diverse. Afterwards we were sent to go
back to our seats and do another activity and then talk to the people next to
us and share however we felt about said question. At first we had to list things that were our
personal cultural influences so one of the things I chose to write was my
religion. We then had to say why it
might be difficult for someone else to appreciate our influence. It’s one of those things that people don’t
really like to speak about because people judge so quickly when they hear what
your religion is and how you feel, and yes I’m guilty of doing that. I’m open to hearing your thoughts and ideas
about whatever you feel and I don’t want to be one of those people who shove
their religion down your throat, so I try to understand where they’re coming
from but I can’t help that judging aspect; we all do it we aren't perfect. Anyways, my religion has made a huge impact
on who I am and what I’m doing with my life.
In the past I've gone on many mission trips to the inner city of Los
Angeles, down to skid row in L.A, and Tijuana, Mexico, and it’s a very amazing
experience and I would definitely say it’s changed me to be a better person and
not take things for granted. I wish
everyone was able to go on at least one and experience what it’s like to help
out, not just for a day like volunteering but for two weeks being totally out
of your element and seeing how those people get by day to day. That would probably be my way of them seeing
where I’m coming from in a situation and hopefully they would learn something
from it.
Religion is a hard topic to talk about. I often finding myself judging others if religion is brought up in a conversation. Like you said, we aren't perfect, but we can work to get to know a person before we judge them.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, a lot of people avoid around the whole "religion" topic as much as possible. I think it's great to be proud of your religion, just as long as -- like you said -- you're not trying to shove your religion down someone's throat. Sounds like you've had some incredible experiences because of your beliefs though, and I think that's awesome!
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