Ripples

Ripples

Flash Fiction:

no sudden movements. 

take it slowly.

pace yourself. 

you try to listen, but you never follow through. 

your reflection in the water will always be marred by the ripples you make. 

Artist Statement

I chose to edit the photo of myself to appear as if it was reflected in the surface of a body of water. This decision was made to reflect the nature of my piece of writing, which played upon the phrase “to make waves” in order to portray the nature of some of the struggles i’ve faced in my own life due to my inherent need to push forward and push myself beyond my own limits. i chose to add a wash of blue to the photo to express the melancholy nature and subdued frustration associated with goals unmet and expectations unfulfilled. I chose to refrain from touching up my blemishes and imperfections in order to make myself appear just as human and genuine as anyone else who might read what i had written, and could better relate to someone who appeared more realistically human. 

One-Pager: A person’s many biases may tie together to create one individual’s very unique perspective on life and the experiences they might have. In “Body Rituals Among the Nacirema” By Horace Miller, the author discussed the many unusual facets and customs of the Nacirema culture. He spoke of their tiled medicine rooms, and the tradition of women sticking their heads into ovens for the sake of beauty and elevated social status. As one goes along, one realizes that “Nacirema” is “American” spelled backwards, and the author has skillfully tricked the reader into viewing their own culture, which they perceive as normal, as something completely absurd and alien. This experience shines a light onto many of our own naturally-occurring implicit biases, and how they link together in our minds to form a complete perspective on our own lives as well as others. 

In a handout from class titled “Different Perspectives” (Vivian, 2009), the author quotes Anais Nin as saying “We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are”. This speaks to the true power of implicit bias and one’s own perspective, and how truly unreliable a narrator it can render a person in a scenario that requires objective truth. When investigating a crime, law enforcement often questions a large number of witnesses in order to piece together a clearer, more objective truth from a collection of pieces of events coming from individuals with wildly different perspectives and biases. However, biases are not always a negative thing, or something that hinders truth. Biases are our mind’s way of recognizing similarities and organizing the overwhelming chaos of all aspects of life. Biases help to form an individual’s understanding of cultural norms, values, morals, and social interactions between peers. They are as necessary as any other coping mechanism, and make it possible for humans to carry out complex interactions and understand abstract concepts. I believe that biases are very natural, and weave together like threads in a tapestry to form the foundation of our very personalities and the way we view the world. Though negative biases may cause us to alienate others who may live different lives, other biases can aid us in recognizing similarities between our cultures and wildly different ones, which may bring people closer together. As you meet new people and have new experiences, your biases change, and your personality and world view change because of it. What i feel this class has taught me is that everything is connected, and that if you believe you fully understand something, there’s a strong chance that there are an infinite number of ways you have yet to look at it, and that for each new view point you discover, you’ll gain a valuable piece of information.