On my first day in the Introduction to Power and Society class, I was lost deep in my thoughts trying to grasp what it all meant. At first glance it only sounded like a fancy name for another one of those college classes, but I was to be proven wrong. After a long day filled with many of my core classes, one would expect me to begrudgingly attend this afternoon lecture just to get credit for attendance. However, like all the good things in our lives, this was the only class I could look forward to regardless of the time.
The first thing I would like to reflect on is the power of knowing your own personality. Nelson Mandela said, “you can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself.” I agree with him. We all need to change to get to the next level in our lives. However, there is nothing more dangerous than a person who doesn’t know himself because they don’t see the need for that change. We went over the types of personalities including those who are dominant, influential, steady, and conscientious. While it is possible for us to exhibit behavior that resembles all types of personalities, it was important to know which category I lean to the most. Being a conscientious person, I am analytical and organized, and this helps explain my interests and actions. Knowing what appeals to me only helps me become stronger as I aspire to be useful and give back to my community. It gives me an opportunity to fine tune these skills and excel in career, relationships, and throughout all facets of life.
Secondly, I learned about the power of being unique. “Being a purple cow.” My favorite inventor, Albert Einstein said, “everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” When I hear those words, first, I hear that “you can.” With this mentality nothing is impossible. However, because of society and its expectations of us, we tend to lose belief in ourselves. Going through the purple cow example in class with Dr. Whitaker reminded me of the importance of being unique. The world needs someone with exactly the gift and talent that God installed in me otherwise I wouldn’t be here. This reminds me of a time when someone asked me if I feared death. Knowing that I am unique and seeing that I haven’t done what God sent me to do, I arrogantly replied, “God will not allow me to die just yet. And if he isn’t done with me yet, death is out of the question. How then can I be afraid.” I appreciate Dr. Whitaker because her lectures often remind me of the things I may take for granted and teach me new truths I need for my journey in this life.
Having known myself and embraced my uniqueness, it was important that I learn to grow. This brings me to the third point of reflection, and it is the willingness to read. While there are many quotes about reading I could share, there is only one that resonated with me most. “Reading is important, because if you can read, you can learn anything about everything and everything about anything.” Today’s reader is tomorrow’s leader. The lecture on reading helped reinforce my love for reading. Not only was I happy to recognize some of the titles like “How to win friends and influence people,” by Dale Carnegie, I also found more titles I wish to read and grow from. I believe reading is the cheat sheet to success as it opens our minds and inspires us to see the world through a different lense.
Next, is the equally important lecture on financial literacy and knowing how to handle money. Having gone to a boarding school, our parents always left pocket money for us with the boarding master. If anyone wanted to buy some snacks, they had to go to him first and get the money. One morning while preparing to go for a sports event, I also went to get some money for lunch from the boarding master. To my surprise, he was surprised to see me. In his words, “I acted differently from my friends when it came to money.” While my friends withdrew money every chance they got, this was my first time the entire semester. He told me I would be very successful if I didn’t forget that money works best if used for the things we absolutely need. Hearing the same remarks from Dr. Whitaker not only reminded me of my boarding master but allowed me to understand that our relationship with money should be one that serves us and not the other way around. Today, I can save money better and make informed decisions because someone took the time to show me the right way.
Finally, I must reflect on the issue of soul ties. I grew up in an amazing community where the children only left the playing field because it was dark. Everywhere I went I easily made friends and I had an amazing time. However, I have come to realize that I find it hard to let go of people and places. To this day, I have impeccable memorization skills and even my parents are surprised sometimes when I remind them of a sound or sweet scent from the time I was a toddler. Such is the extent of my mind strength. While this enables me to retain information at school, remember people’s names easily or their important information, which makes me a good listener, I often wonder if this gift is also a curse. This brings me to soul ties. Because I recall sensations, conversations, and sometimes emotions, I find it harder to forget and let go of people I once cherished. As a result, I had started to refrain from making new friends or making new memories because of the time it takes me to finally let go. However, this didn’t sit well with me because I love to inspire and motivate people aligning with my God given purpose. This resulted in guilt knowing I wasn’t doing my best. Thanks to Dr. Whitaker, I found ways to sever those ties and move on, hopeful for the new memories of the future. Now I enjoy the moment and by imagining myself letting go of the people, or burning a paper with their names, and opening my arms to the future.
I referred to almost all my reflection points as, “the power of,” because that is what they are. Each and everything I have learned from Dr. Whitaker’s class is a powerful arsenal that equips us for the journey of life. By knowing ourselves, understanding the cheat sheet to success, getting our relationship to money right, and embracing the power of the purple cow, I believe we are all on the path to greater things. Finally, having spent over three months in this class, I believe I have understood why it is called power and society. Dr. Whitaker’s class is like the rapture, powerful yet frightening that the only way we can use the tools we’ve been given is to impact society in a positive way.