Kerry Read

Theology-Right Speech Experiment

1-30-06

 

 

 

As soon as I got out of class on Friday I went to my locker to get my books and other stuff to leave. Then I went to swim practice at FoPo; normally I wouldn’t go down there until 4:30, the normal time for varsity practice, but some other guys were going to JV because they had to be home early to get ready for the Rolling Stones concert, so I decided I’d go to JV as well just to get home earlier. I told my coach I was doing JV because the guy I carpool to and from school with was going to JV too, which was true in that this guy and I do carpool, but that day he and I drove separately. I lied to my coach because if I had told him the truth, that I just wanted to go home earlier, he probably wouldn’t have let me do the JV practice. After practice I drove home, made myself a pizza because my dad and step-mom went out to eat, showered, then I drove to the Afton ice rink to watch the Jesuit Cup. I got there about 10 minutes into the first period and we were already down by two goals. At hockey games my friends and I usually do a bit of heckling to the opposing team, sometimes some swear words do make it in there, but this game since I wasn’t with my usual group of friends I didn’t do any heckling, also Mr. McCarthy was there to catch anybody doing so. I did bash on our team a bit with some other guys, once we got down by four goals in the first. I was embarrassed that a team from our school was getting beat so bad. I left the game from boredom after not talking to anyone for awhile and went to this girl’s house for a party. Most of the guys there were from Desmet, and I knew most of them, but I remember getting mad at them because they all seemed to be teaming up on me and the handful of other kids who went to SLUH and Webster. I got mad at them just because they went to Desmet, I didn’t say anything mean, I was still nice to them and carried on conversations about the hockey game or upcoming sports seasons, but the whole school rivalry was in me and I just couldn’t stand most of them. The same sort of thing happened Saturday when I went to Jack in the Box for lunch with a friend of mine. I just got out of my car when a older man, African American, came up to me and started telling me about how he had a family of six kids and a wife at home and he couldn’t support them because he broke his arm, he had a cast on. I almost always give something, but at that time, I just didn’t. I hardly ever believe those peoples stories but I give them the money hoping that they are being honest, or sometimes just to get them to leave, Saturday I think I was just sick of people doing this and did not give the man anything, even though I had plenty of money with me, I lied and told him I just brought enough money to buy food for myself. I know I should be more charitable and more generous to people less fortunate than I am, but I still wonder if I give the guy the money but my heart really isn’t into it, I’m just giving it to him so he’ll go away, if that is even right. I have no way of knowing if he’s telling the truth or not, but I always assume they aren’t, so I definitely need to get that stereotype out of my mind and quit being so judgmental. Saturday night I didn’t really talk much to anyone because I and another guy just drove around the whole night until our soccer game at 11:30.

When I did this experiment for summer theology, I paid attention to my words and what I said, if that reflected on me being a good person or not. This time around, I tried to pay more attention to my actions, my thoughts, and what I was feeling about a specific instant or action. The two instances I felt I did wrong in were with the person asking me for money at Jack in the Box and the party with the Desmet guys. First off, I want to get that stereotype out of mind, and instead assume and hope that the person is telling me the truth so the money I give to them is put to the right purpose and I become more trusting. Second, I don’t want to dislike or be angry at other guys just because they go to different schools. I have friends at some of these schools, because I’ve gotten past the school barrier and talked to and hung out with them. If I can do that for more people, get past the school rivalry, I’ll be a lot better off.