On Hilary
Having read only a small amount of Shakespeare's, she found that she enjoyed his work very much. Hilary enrolled in the Intro to Shakespeare class to further her understanding and to develop a deeper appreciation of his plays and sonnets. She enjoys the darker side of media and finds meaning in the entertainment that challenges her thinking. Of Shakespeare's work, she prefers the heavier trajedies over the superficial, unrealistic overly dramatic love stories. Hilary Wittrock, unlike many eighteen year olds, lives authentically, staying true to herself.
Of Shakespeare's trajedies that she has read, Hilary's favorite is 'Othello'. The lesson of trusting yourself, in this play, provides an in insight into her faith in her own ability to think clearly and keep her real self at the center of her decision making process. On the other hand, she likes 'Romeo and Juliet' "not so much". She finds it to be unrealistic and foolishly romantic; she wants to say to Romeo "you don't even know this girl". Hilary will not make quick decisions based on her current unrealiable emotions; she will think through what she truly feels about a situation before she acts on it. She also enjoys movies that challenge her thinking and her predetermined assumptions.
Hilary's favorite movie, 'Fight Club' is a moody film that challenges people's assumptions on multiple levels. It can open the mind to the effects of the masculine influence and the materialistic society that we, as a race, have created. Hilary can look past the superficial aspects of life, and especially of media, following her instincts, to find the deeper meaning in everyday events. Her open mind to this deeper meaning proves that she has a strong desire to be authentic. She also enjoys having her thoughts challenged; Hilary welcomes an oppurtunity to debate a subject she feels strongly about.
Although Hilary has never been an actor, she has debated a fair amount. She can back up her opinion on a subject and feels confident speaking in public, even under the pressure of a heated debate. When arguing the side of a topic she disagrees with, but feels passionately about, she can use her understanding of her own beliefs to create a valid and convincing argument.
Hilary seeks out a challenge and has a strong desire to be herself in a world where that is not the easiest choice. At eighteen, she already understands herself well enough to make informed, intelligent decisions that are appropriate for her needs and wants. She knows what she is looking for in life right now, and has the confidence in her authentic self to find it.
authenticity
I wonder if another way of being authentic is to have integrity, to follow your belief system, or practice what you preach (or at least what you believe). Do they seem like the same thing? It's hard to be authentic. I was reading a book called The Tipping Point last night and there was discussion of a study involving seminary students, who were studying to be clergy, Catholic maybe but it really doesn't matter. They were told to prepare a brief lecture on ethical behavior and when told to go deliver it, some were told they had plenty of time to get there and some were told to hurry or they'd be late. All of them had to walk past a man feigning some sort of distress. Those who were in a hurry didn't stop to help at about three times the rate of those who had plenty of time to get to their destination. So, even people who are training for work to help people will sometimes not provide the help if it will interfere with their immediate goals. Maybe this says something about the fallibility of being human.
By the way I like the play Othello, but not so much the man. He is too quick to distrust the woman he supposedly loves with all his heart. Bradley
Bradley
other than the tipping point
I am reading a book by the same author, who's name I can't remember right now, called Blink. It is very interesting, although not at all what i expected; those are usually the best ones, in my experience. More along the same lines as the tipping point is a fantastic book called Dance of a fallen monk. it's maybe a little juvenile, as far as a spiritual journey, but i think it has a lot of parallels to the study you talked about in the tipping point. I do agree that having integrity is probably the best way to live authentically. "Do what you say, say what you do" I don't know if that guote belongs to someone else, but I use it a lot.
walk the walk?
I know what you mean. It's hard to do what you say and say what you do, though it's a simple concept. I think most of the time we don't know why we do what we do, so we can't say it. In that regard, we live without guiding principles that we can articulate and fall back on when it comes time to make difficult decisions, or maybe even routine decisions. My wife gave me Tipping Point, Blink and his latest, Outliers for Christmas. I figured I'd start with the first one and work my way through. I'm not sure I've come across any great revelations as of yet, but have come across a good many reminders of how things are, things that are easy to forget when going about the day to day stuff we all have to do. I was just about to write I can't remember his name either, but I'm pretty sure it's Malcolm Gladwell, spelled somewhat as I did. I'll try to remember when I get to Blink and share some of my thoughts with you and you can tell me what you think if you like. Bradley
Bradley