Who am I

Last class caused me to reflect on the songs that have impacted me throughout my life. I thought of one song called, “Who am I” that really helped me during a difficult time of my mission. The work was difficult, and I found myself getting frustrated that I wasn’t being rewarded for my efforts. I was being prideful, and this song made me realize that I needed to forget myself and focus on loving others as Jesus Christ did. As a missionary I experienced a lot of rejection, but this song reminded me that every person I came in contact with was a child of God and that I was no better than they were. It made me want to go out and share the message of God’s love with everyone. It is incredible to me that one song can have such an impact. It also makes me think, if one positive song can do so much good for me, how much damage can one negative song cause? We may not go out and live the lifestyle that is glorified in popular music today, but negative music does not motivate us to be happy, proactive, and charitable. I want to make more of an effort to listen to music that inspires me to be better. I am grateful that through music I can receive revelation and feel God’s presence in my life. 

The Power of Youtube Videos

For this post I've decided to talk about the power of funny Youtube videos. We've all seen them, and we all have that one youtube video that makes us laugh like we're seeing it for the first time. Some of my favorites are BLR's, Boys will be Girls, and (my absolute favorite) my sister's wisdom teeth video. There is something so therapeutic about laughing hysterically, especially late at night with some of my favorite people. The other night I showed my roommates a video of a slightly overweight child dancing like no one's business, and instantly we were all rolling. We always talk about how media hurts our relationships, but I can honestly say that watching that video brought us closer together. This makes me wonder, can quality time be more diverse than just sitting around a campfire or engaging in a deep conversation? Is it possible that just being with others and laughing together can have the same power to bond us together? I don't think anything can match the power of meaningful conversations, but I also believe that experiencing media with others can have a bonding impact. Not only can the media bond us in the moment, but it can continue to bond us every time that Youtube video is brought up in conversation. We will always remember when we stayed up all night watching stupid videos and how fun it was. Additionally, even talking about media can lead into more meaningful conversations. For example, last night I went ice skating with some friends and I got talking to one of the guys in our group. Our conversation started with talking about music and movies. As time went on; however, we got talking about more meaningful things that helped me to know him on a deeper level. I don't think that conversation would have happened if had we not started the conversation talking about media. In talking about media we became more comfortable talking with each other, which led us to open up about ourselves. Of course media use can be taken to the extreme, but when used in the right way and with the right people it can bring us closer together.

Is Media Your Best Friend?

Alright, here it goes. My first blog post EVER! Although this blog is for an assignment, I’m excited for an outlet to express my thoughts and feelings about something that does so profoundly affect my life each day. Media definitely has its pros (I don’t know how I would get through school without it), but we can all agree that it can prevent us from creating and maintaining authentic relationships and experiences. We become so enraptured by our phones, laptops, and other electronic devices that we become completely unaware of what’s going on around us. Heck, I’ve even had media distract me from experiencing other media! For example, the other day I put a movie on the tv, got comfortable on the couch with my laptop in front of me, and then two hours later the movie was over and I didn’t pay attention to any of it. I don’t think I’m the only one that’s had that experience. So yeah, media can be distracting.
We can all think of these little experience when we’ve seen the negative effects of media, but I had an experience earlier this week that opened my eyes a little more to the severity of this issue. I was scrolling through facebook and I came to a post from one of my best friends. Her and I were roommates before our missions and we have remained close ever since. Although school keeps us busy and we don’t live together anymore, we still talk on a pretty regular basis. Her post was about her brother--how after a long hard journey he was finally able to leave on his mission. Her post was long and heart-felt, and it was clear that his departure was an exciting thing for her. It was an inspirational post, but instead of making me feel warm and fuzzy, her post just made me confused. I had never heard about this brother before. In fact, I didn’t even know this brother existed. I didn’t know anything! I wracked my brain trying to think of the times we’ve talking about her family, but I came up empty. There are only two explanations for this--either she told me and I don’t remember it, or she never told me about it except for this time on facebook. Both explanations left me disconcerted. I don’t think there is anything wrong with sharing about your life on facebook, but when it starts taking precedence over our real-life communication with friends and family, it becomes a problem. Then I wonder, what if she told me and I wasn’t paying attention? What if at the moment she told me my phone buzzed and my thoughts immediately turned to who was trying to reach me? What if I was half-heartedly listening while scrolling through my News feed? Bottom line, we can all be better at giving our full love and attention to the people in our lives that matter most.