Presentation I reacted to most strongly

The presentation that affected me the most was Cassandra's, which was about the anxiety of heights while Skydiving. I responded to it strongly because an anxiety of heights is something that I have myself. I cannot say that I have a fear of heights because I haven't really been put into a situation where I was going to be forced to, say, skydive or freefall; however it does make it uncomfortable even watching an immersive film of flying over mountains or cities.

Listening to Cassandra's experience allowed me to view my own project differently. When I have thought of fear before doing research in this class, my brain immediately associated it with television/violence/horror (and I have associated anxiety with people with handicaps like schizophrenia). But listening to Cassy's experience allowed me to take a step back and remember that anxiety is something that affects my own life. You don't have to be in a life-threatening situation to be extremely nervous about a circumstance.

Points 5-7

How people responded to my information:

Beth seemed glad that I mentioned the comparison between fear and anxiety. She agreed with me that the only true fear is fear of the unknown.

People were engaged with the video clips I showed (particularly Epiphany from Sweeney Todd).

Overall the class spent about 20 minutes discussing the issues posed by my presentation before moving on to the next student.


Analysis of hypothesis with actual outcome:

I was actually surprised to find that many other students (and the professor) had a similar take on fear as I did. I was expecting people to be more surprised by the idea of fear not really being a commonly felt emotion.


Propose changes to your idea based on what happened:

I don't think that the experiment should be changed because it sparked a good discussion with the class. That doesn't necessarily mean that the results of the experiment were what was expected; sometimes unexpected results are a good thing. I think it would be beneficial to conduct this experiment with people who did not grow up with the freedom and luxuries Americans have. Perhaps the reaction would be quite different in the Middle East than it is here.

Fear and Creativity

Society often highlights (and exaggerates) fears of childhood. One could argue that the purpose of this is to help people realize that they can overcome their fears in the real world because they have overcome the "dangerous" fears already.

Fear Links

Shower Scene

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT7a8Gv9qdA

Epiphany

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxoFi5Lie34

Children and Fear

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/famsci/he458w.htm

Fear

What is fear? Fear is an emotion that is evoked by something that is perceived to be a threat to an individual. Fear can prevent someone from reaching their true potential. I, personally, am afraid of heights. Fear can either prevent you from accomplishing your dreams, or it can be the fuel that drives you to go further than you ever thought you could. No matter what your fear is, fear is an internal struggle rather than an external one. After all, something is only scary if you allow it to be. You may be naturally wired to turn your back on a situation, but you have the choice to face it head on if you want to.

            I believe that my classmates will be very shocked at my approach to fear. I hope that it will urge them all to reflect on their own understandings of fear.  I don’t believe that anyone else in the class will take the same approach as me.

Your Greatest Contribution

My dream is to work in the advertising department for Disney. I am just a big kid myself, and I really want to work for a company with a focus on family. Here is some artwork that I created of Mushu.

Reflection on Time and Goals

What is the most important thing in your life?

The most important thing in my life is knowing that, at the end of the day, I have accomplished something that I know I could not have done the day before. I strive to constantly become a wiser person and a more positive influence to those around me.

How does discussing that make you feel?

I think it's a good thing to discuss my personal expectations with others because I don't believe that other people view the world the same way that I do. In class I don't feel that the other students or the professor truly understood what I was trying to say (I am not the best at explaining myself verbally). What I meant when I said that I don't consider family and other outside sources to be a measure of success would've been more easily understood if the other people knew that I compartmentalize things. For me, work and family do not mix, just like church and family do not mix. But I understand that most people lump things together so it is hard for me to explain myself to others.

How does it make you feel about your goals when you think about the amount of time you might or might not have in which to achieve them?

My personal goals are not the most important things in the world, so I really don't get worried about not achieving them. Life is about sacrificing yourself for others; if I have to give up my own dreams to help somebody else then I would happily do that.


What are your thoughts on the idea that you are in charge of how much time you actually have in a given day?

I am a firm believer that stress is self-inflicted. This is another one of those questions that I don't think people would really understand my answer to. Honestly, I don't ever feel rushed and I always feel like I have time to do what I want to do. And, since I have a job in a career that I enjoy, I don't even think about the time (I often don't even know what today's date is).


What are the limitations you place on yourself?

I don't like taking advice from others when it comes to design techniques. I would rather experiment and find my own ways to solve problems that listen to someone tell me step by step what to do.


What are the limitations that are imposed on you by outside sources?

I'm currently living in Indiana, which I will be moving out of as soon as I graduate (I can't stand cold weather). I also can't get jobs in certain companies because I don't have a degree yet.


What can you do about any of this?

I can choose to not let my limitations get the best of me. I could mope about not going to other colleges because my parents don't have the money to send me to them, or I could do my best to be among the top students at the college I am at. And I choose to not let life's setbacks hold me back.