Wednesday, September 26, 2012

IExamen- Tyler Murray


The day I chose to do my self-analysis/observation was last Saturday. I was really sick and slept until 2 p.m. even though I went to sleep at 10 the night before. I woke up to my roommate and 4 of my friends barging in through the door laughing and yelling which put me in a great mood to start the day. I forced myself awake, threw on a hoodie with no undershirt, and started walking to Boulder. Based on my wardrobe, facial expression, and heavy steps I was taking, the public should have taken notice that this was not the day to mess with me. Even in my Dayquil stupor, I smiled at the majority of people that I passed, said hey to those that I recognized, and helped a girl pick up her package off the concrete. No matter what condition I am in, I always use humor as a method of communicating with people. It helps me feel more relaxed and connect with others. To be honest, I’m amazed that I paid as much attention to my day as I did.
            Though this day was not normal considering how sick I was, the majority of my behavior did not change. My personality is a contradiction because I consider myself a shy, outgoing person. Most of the time, I will not go out of my way to talk to someone I have just met but if they engage me first, I have no problem having a conversation. I’m far from socially awkward and very friendly but sometimes I may not convey that through my body language or tone of voice. This day was a perfect example of that.            
            I was wearing a hoodie, lacrosse shorts, and moccasins with socks. I looked like I had gotten dressed in the dark, which I did. By wearing a hood for the majority of the day, I physically limited my peripheral vision. Therefore, I did not see a lot of the people that I passed around campus. Also I was looking down at my phone for the majority of my time outside of my room because I’m constantly writing down song ideas and lyrics. Even when I feel like crap, writing still comes easily to me and makes me feel better.
            Other than writing in the notes app in my phone, I rarely use it. I don’t hate technology but I think it detracts from the importance of face-to-face conversation. I noticed how many people hold on to their phones like it’s the pin to a grenade and check them even in the middle of a conversation. I always thought it was rude to do that. The main reason I was able to see how many people were constantly on their phones is because I was not constantly on my phone. The majority of communication today is through technology because it is easy and widespread. Seeing girls go up to one another and say, “did you get my text?” They then react to that text and spend the rest of their conversation scrolling through Twitter and Facebook.
            I didn’t struggle at all when I separated myself from all electronics because, if you can’t tell, they don’t play a significant part in my life. The only downside was that I couldn’t listen to music so I went and played piano which is the next best thing. My main method of communication is through my music. My most personal, honest words are written in my red notebook, on my phone, or six strings. That’s not to say that the rest of the ways I communicate are less important or truthful. I just feel like my music and music in general is the most important, significant form of communication there is.
            This exercise made me realize how many ways of communication there are and how unaware I was of the majority of my own ways of communication. Whether its my clothing or telling people that I’m never on Facebook, communication definitely impacts my life.  

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