REFLECTIONS ON LETTERS

[christineciccone]

Metaphor and Design as an approach to understanding social reality (like your fishbowls), and as an approach to change, belongs to the social-constructionist school of thought. It is underpinned by the idea that human awareness and knowledge have an unfolding transformative potential and that the images and ideas people hold of themselves and their world have a fundamental impact on how their realities unfold…

An example from Strictly Ballroom that this letter relates to is Fran and Scott. Both people were pinned into a certain category. Because of this categorization they had thoughts about themselves and who they were supposed to me. They had an underlying assumption of they need to be and are supposed to be, instead of just being who they want. People had the idea and image of Scott as a dancer and a winner and his parents used this on him. So Scott thought he had to be the best and treated Fran like she wasn't good enough at first. Whereas Fran was always in the shadows and no one ever gave her a chance so she was not confident and was scared to dance. However, both characters were transformative and lived up to a better potential. Scott realized that he loved to dance and not just for winning. He experienced a new culture of dance and became a better person and more loving towards Fran. Whereas Fran found confidence within herself and started dancing with confidence and actually being a leader towards Scott, which was unusual for him. Ones they broke the mold and image that others had given to them they transformed and found their own potential and their realities unfooled before their eyes. They both found happiness. The images they had of themselves before had shifted into something different and it changed their lives and their realities. How you view yourself matters and impacts how your life will change. I have personal experience relating to Fran. As a child, I was shy and grew up with an older brother. Because he was older he was always ahead in school, athletics and so on. Because he was always better I had an image of myself, and that image was that I would never be good enough. However, as I grew I broke out of this mold and formed a new image of myself. Once I did so, my reality changed. I did better in school, I loved playing sports and I started trying new things. Once I adopted my own image of myself my realities changed for the better. Similar to Fran once I broke the image I found more confidence. There was a shift in me, therefore there was a shift in my reality. Everything is about perspective. Scot, Fran and I all went through a paradigm shift. Once we changed this image and assumption of ourselves everything changes.

[christineciccone]

“ It is your Voice that has to be heard if you want your Action to have an Impact.” This letter has stuck out to me the most of all the letters we've received. It stuck out to me the most because I feel like I am starting to understand more and more what the fishbowl is about. We are here to learn our own voices and to while learning and discovering our own, seeing others' voices as well. Anything can generate an image or a text, but it's your voice that gives it meaning, and everyone voices are different. By using to learn your voice you are giving texts and images meaning. This meaning can make an impact on other people's voices as well.

[christineciccone]

"In other words, when something is created, it comes into existence" This means it is something new.
This piece from your letter reminded of something I learned in another one of my classes called the systems perspective. This perspective means that when something new comes along affects other systems as well, good and bad. Just like when something new comes into existence whether it be technology, or new business strategies it affects other systems all around it and we must learn to adapt. Just like we've learned to adapt to his class, the fishbowl, and everything in life.

[christineciccone]

“Whenever you change the way you think, you change your life.
To change the way you think requires words and images: vocabulary, selection, substitution.”
Our life is all about perspective. However, we view life is how our life is. When you change the way you think your view on life changes, therefore your life is changed. You can manifest your own life. However to change requires new vocabulary, knowledge, your selection of vocabulary and substituting words and perspectives you've never had before. To change is to grow, and growth comes from new knowledge and new ways of thinking. Though it can be difficult and a long process it is important.

[christineciccone]

Are these questions even the relevant ones? How would you know?
I think to know the relevance of certain questions is to see how your answers have changed from the past. When asked a question it's important to think back as to how you would answer it years ago compared to today. I think every question is relevant when you view how you've changed, how your vocabulary has improved, and how easily you can answer the question. Every question is relevant when you think of your growth.

[christineciccone]

Each part in a symbiotic system is made stronger by its relationship to other parts
To understand the system you must understand each part and understand how it creates the system and makes it work. You cannot understand something without all the moving parts that are helping it to work. Just like you cannot understand yourself until you focus in on each part and self reflect. Nothing is fully understood without understanding what makes it work.

[christineciccone]

“the systematic interplay of reflective areas is central”.
Rellefction the most important part of growing. You cannot grow without reflection of your past and present. It is systematic in growing and very necessary. How can you grow without knowing how you've grown?

[christineciccone]

“We live in our fishbowls; in our constructions of text and images.”
We live through text and images and our interpretations of them. That is what out fishbowl is. Different perspectives on texts and how we view them. We can only have meaning with text and images are we evoke these feelings which turn into our perspectives.