Arushi Week 11 - "NOO don't do it!!!"
You're three steps away from the dark, probably bat-and-rat-filled tunnel. It looks pretty cool honestly. You can just make out some graffiti at the mouth of the passage and they look pretty neat - bright hints of pinks and blues scattered throughout. They are signs that someone has been there before and hopefully made it out too. That puts you a little at ease. You stand at the tunnel's entrance for five minutes, debating whether or not you should make the treacherous journey of three steps to see where your destiny leads. After what seems like an eternity, you decide that you will.
I mean, what can go wrong? It's not like this is the cave where at least 30 people have gone missing before. It's not like your friend went missing here just last month. It's definitely not like your mom literally just told you not to go looking for the tunnel 20 minutes ago. It's a great idea, right?
Well, I don't know if certain doom sounds like a great idea to you, but that's what happened. You took those 3 steps during the sixth minute you were standing in front of the tunnel. I wish I could tell you what happened to you, but I can't. I mean I decided not to go in, for good measure, of course. I tried warning you about the looming eight-foot tall figure staring back at you, but hey, you just don't take no for an answer do you?
Good thing I listen to my mom.
But why didn't you listen in the first place? You knew that nothing good was going to come out of it AND several people warned you. I know you wish you could chalk it up to poor judgement, but really, it was just defiance.
So why is it that people don't seem to heed warnings, or rather, why does being told no sometimes compel you to do something even more? This reaction is is apparently completely psychological. It's a very human response/mechanism where our brains just yearn to guarantee that we have the freedom to do what we want, whenever we want. A lot of this just goes back to us being very impulsive at base nature.
Ultimately, impulse can definitely lead you astray (think back to you entering the tunnel), but it can also be used to incite change. If we weren't impulsive, we likely wouldn't have made a lot of important discoveries that involved us readily jumping into the unknown. But one thing's for sure though, you should probably stick to listening to your mom when she says something - after all, mother knows best, right?
Hi Arushi! Your vivid introduction immediately got me hooked to your blog and wondering what would happen next. With your illustrative details, I could imagine the dark tunnel with ease in my mind. Fear crept into my brain as you mentioned that “30 people have gone missing before.” The picture that you inserted looks exactly what I imagined; I think it will give me nightmares for the next few nights. Despite my fear, my curiosity and impulsive thoughts would make me go into the tunnel. I like how you transition your blog to discussing the psychological explanation of human impulsivity while using the tunnel story to get your point across. You explain how impulse can lead us to do stupid things like going into the tunnel, but you also mention that impulse can be used “to incite change.” The subtle humor you inject into your conclusion reminds me of the song from Tangled. With that being said, it is a good idea to listen to our moms.
ReplyDeleteArushi, it’s quite evident how creative and out of the ordinary your blog was. With an enticing title that leaves one utterly confused, yet itching to find out what’s next, I was drawn to read what you had to say. I enjoyed your artful storytelling, pulling your audience straight into the pages of a book as you navigated them through a dark, eerie tunnel with a crafty lesson hidden at the end of it. The anecdote creatively modeled the complexities of impulsive actions: initially, before entering the tunnel, we made note of the colorful, almost welcoming graffiti that signified that “someone has been there before and hopefully made it out too.” It was only when we had already decided to make the trek into the tunnel that chilling details like the fact that “30 people have gone missing before” and that a “friend went missing here just last month” were brought to attention. I enjoyed how this intricacy described how, acting on impulse, many people only tend to see the positives and subconsciously ignore the negatives behind their actions—often until it’s too late. For example, on an impulse, signing up for 8 AP classes in a year might seem like the most perfect embellishment on someone’s college application, but only when they actually do the classes might they realize the stress accumulated, the opportunities missed, the life not experienced. Inevitably, impulsive decisions prove to be harmful when the consequences remain unaccounted for. Overall, I really enjoyed how creative and entertaining—yet at the same time didactic—your blog was, and I will possibly be staying away from tunnels for the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteArushi, your strong imagery in the beginning of your blog was definitely eye-catching and had me hooked from the start. The constant idea of this "forbidden tunnel" effectively helped me understand this "impulse" that many people tend to act on. Personally, I know that I am very indecisive and will sometimes act on impulse, but generally I tend to second guess every single decision in my life. Of course, this can be an annoying factor, but also it had benefitted me at times where I reconsider what is safe and what is not. Of course, acting on impulse can be fun at times, but with your vivid description of this "bat-and-rat-filled tunnel" emphasized why acting on impulse can really go both ways, and its generally better to think twice before you do so.
ReplyDeleteHi Arushi! Your blog was incredibly engaging and well written! I loved that you started with a hypothetical scene that was described with vivid imagery. At first, I was lost but as I kept reading, I became extremely invested in the dark tunnel. Later, you cleverly used that situation to further your argument about humans’ fundamental nature. Your use of rhetorical questions and causal language made me feel as if a friend was posing this scenario to me. The image included right below the first couple paragraphs also allowed me to better visualize the scene you explained. I laughed so hard at the caption you included (I am in fact going to get nightmares because of this blog).
ReplyDeleteYour transition into your argument is flawless and was weaved into your writing well. Your emphasis on the difference between poor judgment and intentional defiance was powerful and backed up well with the article you linked. The impact of defiance was also conveyed well because most people would automatically assume that defiance is bad since it has a clear negative connotation. Your connection of defiance and positive changes in society through innovation shows that there is more than one way to look at this fundamental part of human behavior. Overall, your blog was extremely thought provoking and I hope to read more like this next week!