Philosphy Case

I attended a talk regarding local and global perspectives on origins and adaption, which was only one discussion of a series of four events. This was my first event of the colloquium I attended, however I thought it was surprisingly interesting and wanted to attend the rest of the events. In all honesty, I didn't have any high expectations for the outcome of this event and at first I didn't arrive with an open mind or positive attitude. The totality of this event lasted about 2 hours, but I can honestly say that I would have not minded at all if it continued for a few more hours. My final thoughts contrasted greatly with my initial thoughts and feelings regarding this particular to event. From this discussion, I learned not only the intimate and personal life experiences of these seven speakers but I also took with me a greater understanding of myself. I never for a second would have thought that attending a simple discussion on this topic would have impacted my life in the various ways that it has.

The concept of having seven complete and very different individuals openly express their stories about their experience with transition and adaption really engaged me as an audience member, and I found myself intrigued, interested, and ultimately grateful for these individuals and their stories. Another component of this event, which I also was hesitant about in the beginning, was the discussion and audience participation that followed each individual. For me, this component enabled me to openly listen and finally understand that the experiences shared by the fellow audience members not only related to the story previously told, but also had a very unique connection to each of the stories that followed. I greatly enjoyed the idea of expressing this notion of adaptation and transition through the use of stories because I thought it conveyed a more personal approach and allowed for involvement of the audience, which I feel made for a more fulfilling and openly accepting event.

As I listened to each story told, I was taken back by all the connections and similarities I personally had with each individual. Even though the seven presenters represented were very diverse ages, cultures, ethnicities and life perspectives, I was able to relate at least one aspect of each story to my own experiences. Because of this, I developed a greater understanding and respect for people in general. I thought it took a lot of courage for each presenter to share their personal experiences, which consequently are very dear to their heart, with the rest of us. I was inspired by each story for different reasons and resulted in personal reflection and a search for understanding and acceptance in my own life.

The idea of transitioning from one place to another and the impact it has on a person in essentially estabilishing their identity as a human, was an idea that I gave very little thought to prior to this event. As a child, my family, which

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