One day while walking, an ambulance with sirens sounding, sped past us into the distance. We could hear the sound of the sirens changing as it drove off into the distance
Friend: The Doppler Effect!!!
Me: (gosh), so nerdy
I forgot what my friend's reaction to my comment was. She probably told me to shush, or she pushed me or something.
Why did I say that? Why did I make fun of her application of academics to life? The thing is I didn't even mean it when I said it. I don't really think it's nerdy; I think it's good to (learn to) love what you learn in school and to apply it, and see how amazing God is for creating physics. What I said was kind of automatic for me, something I picked up from being around Asian circles; it seems like something people in Asian circles would say, but perhaps that's just my opinion. I realize that when I say things like that, it can discourage others.
I remember another scenario that is an opposite parallel of this one--because it was encouraging.
I was carrying around textbooks in the dorms before the school year/classes had started. A couple friends were in the hallway and saw me. One friend said: "are you studying already??" I said "oh, no I'm giving these textbooks to someone, but yes, I have started studying." The other friend smiled, looked me in the eye and said genuinely: "good for you!"
I was so encouraged by what she said and her genuineness in saying that. It is so rare.
How easy it is to say: "woww, what! WHY would you do that?" or something similar. Those kind of comments make it easy for people to want to hide the fact that they are studying before school starts--to hide the fact that they are doing something outside of the "cool norm".
I think it's really awesome when people encourage each other to be who they really are, who God has created them to be, to do what God calls them to do, etc.... instead of making discouraging remarks that push people to conform or hide their differences
For all those reading, I'm sorry for the discouraging things I've said to you.
thanks jamie, for reminding me to watch what i say!
ReplyDeleteuh oh =(
ReplyDeleteThis time after going to China for just a short while, I'm even more aware that every culture has what they consider acceptable topics for conversation. And unacceptable topics. Like how in America, the weather, what you do for a living are fine topics. Your age, and especially in the northeast, religion, are not acceptable. In Asian cultures, a female's physical features and food seemed to be the two major topics of conversation I've encountered. You are allowed to spend the whole meal talking about how the fish was cooked, which market the soybeans came from, and as Greg Jao said, which past meal was excellent and which future meal will be excellent. So maybe for us Asian Americans who lament that their parents don't talk to them about heart matters at the dinner table, but instead about how the fish was cooked, maybe that's why.
ReplyDelete