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Courtney Bradshaw

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  1. So I am not finished but I would really like some feedback. Please criticize as much as needed Maturity Maturity is defined as being able to respond to a situation appropriately, which, quite frankly, is very important in both a social and professional environment. Like many other things, maturity is part of the socialization process, the process by which people learn how to become a functional member of society. As people move about their lives, they learn the "ins and outs" of society, as well as its norms and values. While going through life, people are faced with decision making every day; whether it be what to eat or what’s the best way to make the day productive. The way in which people react to other people's decisions and actions is what defines their level of maturity, and the way in which someone presents their reaction should be in consideration of the other person. What many people think today, is that a person’s level of maturity corresponds with their age. Maturity is learned through socialization, and no matter the age one can learn handle a situation in the correct manner. Socialization is key to learning how to react to others. When we are younger we mimic those who are older than us. During one of my psychology classes my professor showed us an experiment that proved just this. There was a professor of psychology at Stanford University, Dr. Albert Bandura, who tested 36 young boys and 36 young girls between the ages of 3 and 6 in his experiment. This experiment was called the Bobo Doll Experiment, where Bandura showed half of the children a video of an older women playing violently with the Bobo Doll while half of them were not shown the video. The half that were shown the video, when placed in a room with the Bobo Doll and many other toys, immediately started punching and kicking the Bobo Doll. The children who watched the video also picked up a fake gun that was placed in the room and began pointing the gun at the doll and yelling vulgar things at it. The half that were not shown the video played with the other toys that were in the room and were non-aggressive towards the Bobo Doll. This experiment proved that when we are younger we react towards things the way we see others act. Maturity can be reduced into three things: communication, the way someone presents themselves, and the ability to adapt to a certain situation. We learn these things through observing those around us, our biggest factor being our parents. The way our parents react to us may represent how we react to others. A parent that merely grounds their kids when they do something wrong may teach their child that the best way to deal with something is to not actually deal with it at all. A parent who always screams at the child, and does not allow them to explain themselves may end up with a child who hides their wrong doings instead of owning up to what they have done. A way to prevent this is for a parent to develop communication between their child and themselves. This allows the child to learn to own up to what they have done and learn how to explain themselves. This accounts for communication. The way we present ourselves also plays a large role in our level of maturity. We must present ourselves in way that shows we respect ourselves and those around us. We can do this by the way we dress, the way we walk, and the way we look at people. People who dress more conservatively would be thought to respect themselves, and therefor respect those around them. If someone is walking with their “nose in the air” as they sway their hips it puts off an image of “I am too good for you.” They are showing that they do not have much regard for the feelings of those around them, and learning to put others first is a big component is maturity. If a high school student walks into a class wearing a vulgar shirt, and sits on a desk while chomping on gum and throwing a paper airplane across the room, one could presume that they do not have respect for the classroom and therefor have not reached maturity. If someone walks in wearing conservative clothes and sits down facing the teacher it could be assumed that they are showing respect and have reached maturity. The biggest ways to show maturity is the way someone reacts to a situation; this is because communication and the way we present ourselves are both factors in our reaction. Returning to the example of the students in the classroom, we can look at the reaction of the teacher to these students as a representation of their maturity. If the teacher reacts by yelling the student saying they have an immediate referral without giving the student a chance to redeem themselves, the teacher is showing they he or she has no care in trying to better the child. If the teacher reacts by asking them to politely sit down in the seat and explains that doing it again would result in a referral it is showing a level of respect for the student and allowing him or her to redeem themselves.
  2. Serenity Not much compares to the serene feeling that is given through a morning cup of coffee at the break of dawn. This feeling is best when sitting on a porch in the countryside. When overlooking the woods, the colors seem brighter, the birds seem happier, and the world seems smaller. It is very difficult to not get captivated by the silence of the busy lifestyle and to lose track of time. My aunts home surrounded by woods provides the perfect sanctuary to get away from bustling city life and enjoy the natural sounds that our world provides for us. Staying at my aunts always allowed me to enjoy what I could not in the city. I would always awake right as the sun was coming up. The light would shine into the guest room from the making a reflection on to light carpet. I would then walk outside onto the front porch where my aunt would already be awake with her steaming cup of coffee and her two, very intelligent, Jack Russel Terriers close by her. I stepped onto the porch where my feet were met with the slightly chilly, still, concrete that was wrapped around the three sides of the house. When I was younger my aunt had a hot tub that sat on the porch which I would always use in the winter to relax in. I would comfortably sit outside in the negative degrees and look over the woods blanketed in a white comforter. I could stay out on the porch for an hour enjoying the contrast of the chilliness in the air compared to the warmth provided from the bubbling tub. I would then walk over to my aunt as we said our good mornings, and I sat next to her on the wooden porch swing that hung from the ceiling. The wooden swing was hand crafted by my uncle and smoothed to perfection while still keeping the natural look of wood. It hung from sturdy silver chains and faced out towards a small pond and into the woods behind it. The pond was home to many catfish, ducks, and frogs. Sometimes my aunt would take me out to the pond to feed the catfish and you could see all of their mouths straining to get the food. We would feed them on a once sturdy deck was built over a small portion of the pond. Over time the deck began to break down, and walking over it one would need to watch their step as to not accidentally get a foot stuck in one of the many places that the wood has broken and caused small holes throughout. Although, from my safe spot on the porch I did not have to worry about falling through the deck. I would then focus my senses on the smells that surrounded. The smells given are those that can only be found outside the of the urban lifestyle. When inhaling I could smell the freshness of the Earth. There is nothing like the natural smell of fresh water, grass, and trees. At my aunt’s house these smells seem magnified. Even if one were to close their eyes and inhaled the area surrounding would provide and undeniable pastoral fragrance. Many people will buy packs of pinecones to place in their house that gives off only a fraction of the way it smells when still provided from the tree. My aunt’s long gravel driveway is lined with pine trees that not only allow a beautiful sight but also give off unforgettable natural, clean smell. When sitting on my aunt’s porch it is hard to see the importance in the worrying and stressing that is so easy to get caught up with due to school and work. It provides a sanctuary of relaxation and calmness. It is amazing to hear the birds chirping, and the wind whispering through the tress without the background noise of cars. All the sounds of nature are enhanced. You can hear the woodpecker pecking against the trees, the humming of insects, the croak of frogs, and many of sounds that the forest provides. Being able to leave one’s worries behind for a few days, or even a few hours can be such a relieving feeling. Many people will find un-natural ways to get away for a few hours, because that is what most people do. If others could experience the blissfulness of earth’s natural sights, sounds, and smells more I believe they would start to move away from the substances and enjoy the beautiful world around them.
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