I am not a very social person, in fact I do not have a large group of friends, but rather a few close ones. My goal of my friendship experiment, was not only to try and live by Emerson's standards, but also to break out of my comfort zone and attempt to hang out with people I haven't previously spent a lot of time with. At first it was not easy, I felt uncomfortable attempting to step outside of what I was used to, but I was determined to keep trying, and eventually it paid off.
According to Emerson, people must be able to "drop even those undermost garments of dissimulation, courtesy, and second thought." So to begin, I went into this experiment with an open mind, and attempted to drop those walls of not only societal prejudices, but the walls of my self confidence and my inner-most box.
In reading Emerson, I have realized many things about myself. I now know that it is necessary for me to branch out, and drop those undermost garments of self doubt. I have realized the true nature of friends, and have found that I now appreciate my friendships with an even greater sense of value. I have learned that Emerson's knowledge is valuable, and although at times he may seem somewhat preachy about his values, in reality his ideas are valid, and that is important to take into account.
Another time recently that I attempted to live as an Emersonian friend, was when my friend was really depressed about something in her life, and I went to her house, brought her to dinner with me, and took the time to see a movie with her that she really wanted to see. My simple actions proved very valuable, and brought her self-confidence and gratitude, which assisted her to move forward and embrace the new days ahead of her.
Emerson's writing about friendship has inspired me to be a more honest, and caring friend, I have learned that my thoughtful actions can help others in need. As well, this has taught me to step out of my comfort zone and embrace the idea of branching out.
2 comments:
This is amazing. You are by far the best Emersonian experimenter Sarah Noble! I'm so impressed by your ability to take to heart the words of Emerson. I think that you're definitely right when you say that a part of friendship is the ability to drop this nervousness that we carry about, this inability to step outside the comfort zone and just talk to someone. I actually identify a lot with you, I'm pretty self-contained. After reading about what you did though, maybe I'll try the same. I never really thought about what Emerson was saying in that light, but now that you've said it, I can see it. After all, how can we be a good friend unless we are willing to put ourselves out there and attempt to reach out to people?
I love this entry!
first of all, may i just say that i LOVE that you have a picture of edward and bella on your blog! hahaha.
I thought this was a great way to perform the friendship experiment. Initially I was worried about this experiment, thinking that by performing it, I may alienate some of my friends, but I think the approach you took was really great. You stepped outside your comfort zone, and that is so impressive. It doesn't have to be a drastic measure. It could be something as simple as sitting at a different table at lunch, or stopping to say hi to someone you've never really had the chance to connect with before. I definitely think a big part of friendship is trust, and by stepping outside your comfort zone, you were showing people that you want to be their friend, and you're willing to try something new to gain their trust. This was a really good entry, and I hope you continue to try to step outside your comfort zone.
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