David, Josh Michael G.

PE-Purposive Communication
BSLM 1A 17/02/2020

The Gift of Communication: An Appreciation

Communication has so many uses in life, that it’s almost a basic necessity for everyday
living. It helps create connections and assists in going through life and its hardships. No matter
how you look at it, we would not be able to move on with living if we did not communicate with
others. That is why I believe communication is rather underappreciated to an extent, and we
take it for granted sometimes. I, for one, would like to give thanks for my ability to communicate,
as it helped in building connections with the people I’m close to, as well as shaping up who I am
today.

Growing up, I was an introvert, usually preferring to be by myself, observing other people
rather than doing the most arduous task of hanging out in a group and talking about the things
you like and other things of the sort. At the time, I had that analogy since I thought my interests
were weird and I would not be able to fit in with my classmates as much. But somehow I knew, I
was not going to go anywhere if I kept going like this, and that sooner or later I would need to
converse with them if I wanted to excel in class, which happened surprisingly sooner than
expected as they had approached before I even had the chance to formulate my plan of
blending in with them. In any case, the shift was successful, and over time, they were rubbing
off on me, inheriting some of their interests and personalities. I also taught myself to keep some
of the things I’m interested in to myself, especially if it doesn’t fit in with my group of friends. And
with that, I became the one who people went to, to vent out what they had on their minds
because I was such a good listener and giver of advice.

High school came around, and it felt like a total reset for me, since it was a new school,
therefore a new environment. What's worse is that I retained none of my friends back in grade
school, so essentially I’m back to a blank slate again, and the anxiousness of making friends
came back as well. So, for a while, it was back to introvert me again, alone and observing
people from a distance. It was then and there where I met a small group of people that had
similar interests to those that I had hidden from my past friends, and so I attempted to
communicate, and they immediately welcomed me in. At the time, It felt so refreshing, being
able to talk about the things you love with other people, since I lived a life of just listening, and
understanding people’s likes and problems, that I never got to express my own likes and
problems. It felt like home. Though a part of me felt sad that the group of friends I had this time
around, only kept to themselves. They felt like outcasts, and they actually embraced that part of
it. Like they would curse out people who would mock them, and feel that they are better than
most people. Honestly I don’t mind that mindset, since I get where they are coming from, and
fighting back, keeping to themselves are just means to look out for each other, probably from all
the bullying and mockery they have gotten in the past. But remembering my life with my old
friends, I didn’t want to keep to myself anymore. I wanted to make new connections and build
new relationships again, since the experience drastically changed my overall personality. It was
something that I wanted personally, but my other friends disagreed with, and so they let me go
on my own.

Having been through two differing experiences of making friends, it got me thinking that,
it really isn’t so bad to talk to people you may or may not have similar interests or personalities
with, it’s a great way of learning other people’s mindsets, whilst building off of your own. And
later on down the line, you will probably meet someone who you know will stick by you, one who
may have the same interests and personality as you, or even one who feels like such a contrast
to who you are; Either way, they will come to love you for who you are, but you will never know
unless you start making the connection with a simple conversation.