Response to #2

Everything in life revolves around communication. And communication comes in many different forms. Using a language is typically the most common way to communicate. Not always, but most of the time. People use language to inform, to convince, to explore, to make decisions, and to mediate or pray.

When informing someone about something, it is extremely critical to be transparent in the message. We rely on devices, even people to inform us to do the simplest tasks such as waking up in the morning by a vibrator and a flashing light when someone is calling on the videophone. In a school project, say a research paper...your teacher lets you choose the topic and you have to present to the class and you hope your classmates will agree with what you've written. You use researched facts to inform your peers to get them side with you. I've done this plenty of time in the past and it's always worked pretty well. For informing, I would say it's more of an act of persuasion rather than argument.

To convince is not a quality that most people have. Convincing is a real skill that often takes time to develop. People in the business industries have to master this skill to secure their job position. Say if we went through life watching television with weak convincing commercials and driving on freeways with meaningless billboards. No products will be sold and the supply and demand will greatly contrast. In business meetings or court rooms, convincing can be perceived as an argument. It's all depends how the person uses facts and/or evidence. Being the baby in my family, I've always had a sly way of putting the blame on my siblings. I could easily convince my father that my siblings ganged up on me. After all, how can you not believe the sobbing tears of the youngest child of the bunch? ;-) I would say to convince is an act of both argument and persuasion because you can only convince others to side with you or oppose you.

Exploring is a natural curiosity for almost everyone! I absolutely love asking people about their pasts, their desires, their goals, and their dreams. I recall a memory of myself (a toddler that time) asking a man if he's ever been to India. He laughed and was dumbfounded that this little girl even knew what India was! To my surprise, he said he did and he continued to explain his journey to India. I remember thinking India must be the coolest place ever! Since then, my desire to explore grew. After high school, I traveled to nearly 20 countries and made a vow to go out of the country to explore a new location every year. I think to explore is an act of persuasion because new information, facts, places lure you to find out more... that's persuasion in itself.

Decisions are what makes and breaks a person's life. Making decisions are often the hardest part of life. You decide when to wake up, what to wear, and when to do your homework. And sadly peers often influence your decisions. For instance, I decided to go to Gallaudet University because I wanted to see if this would be the right place for me. I decided that I would give it a year or two before making the final decision to stay or to transfer to another university. I know this decision can make a huge impact in my life. Although many factors other than my academics are considered such as my friends, my extracurricular activities, and my motivation. Ultimately, making decisions is an act of both argument and persuasion.

Mediating or praying is a state of mind where one really finds oneself and to completely let go. All of the worries gone, burdens disappear and a utopia creates. I think people tend to pray for selfish reasons...often for their own benefits. While I do not practice religious praying to form a 'connection' to a god, I believe the mind is the most powerful thing in the world and is capable of conquering anything. I don't think you can argue against a god or supreme being. You can only persuade him/her/it to give you what you want.