Reason

Describe a personal story of when you have used reason without using language.

Very early in life I came to a revelation about myself : Words create the essence of life that surrounds me. I have never been one to experience through image, or instinct. In whatever situation I may find myself, whether it be a completely new experience, or the dullness of the average day, my mind spins with the analysis that comes with forming vocabular description. Therefore, I found this particular assignment rather difficult because of my usual aversion to thoughts that lack language. I was prepped for quite a bit of memory-searching before realizing that such a situation occurred not too long ago. No, it isn’t a long-winded tale of personal achievement or horrifying failure, it is but a simple incident in which the very core of my being was jolted into immediate action by means of reasoning.

My youngest sister is at a very… exploratory stage (11 months), and although it is unspeakably adorable, such curiosity, and a means of putting it into physical reaction, naturally results in some dangerous situations. Electrical outlets, for instance. It is typical for my family to put outlet covers on while the outlets are not in use, but thanks to the incurable irresponsibility of a certain 9-year old who finds pride in being able to finally use the microwave by herself, one of these outlets was uncovered, and, to a curious little baby, all the more appealing. I was in a fit of being uncharacteristically responsible, and was therefore doing my homework assignment long before it was due, when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. It just so happened to be my sweet baby sister crawling at full speed, with an eager little look, and a mischievous little smirk, on her face. That is a sight that I am quite used to seeing, so I thought nothing of it, and continued on with my work. It was only about 2.7 seconds later when I felt that something was not quite right, and I looked up to see her centimeters away from the electric outlet, her tiny finger outstretched in preparation to poke (which currently is her favorite means of communication, unfortunately, for it can be rather painful when she pokes you in the eye). I felt horror-stricken, as if my heart was plummeting to my feet, and it was during this moment that I was able to reason without using language, for there are no words to describe the longing that one feels to save a loved one when they face grave danger. I knew naturally that without my aid, my sister was in for a terrible situation, and I needed to act instantaneously in order to prevent that. Before I had even realized what happened, my little sister was in my arms (grumbling at me because I had prevented her from carrying out her task at hand), and I was breathing a sigh of relief. Sometimes even the most literary people toss away the words that they cling to when it comes to a critical occurrence.

Sensory Perception

As humans, which sense do we use most? Why?

One may say that the senses of human beings are the most critical means of human interaction with the world around us – and that, because of the cruciality of the five senses, it is engrained in the genetic material of human beings that the senses are interwoven, working in unity to ensure the most accurate interpretation of life’s experiences as possible. However, there are those who are not always equipped with the traditional means of sensory perception, in which we can defer that the most commonly used sense truly varies from individual to individual. There is no predetermined sense that overrules the others – it depends on a multitude of factors based primarily on one’s environment. Speaking for myself as an individual, I would have to give the rather orthodox response of admitting that sight is my most treasured sense, but for good reason. Without sight, I could not properly engage in my greatest passions: drawing and writing, and without those means of easily channeling the ideas that so randomly pop into my head, I would likely feel that my most purposeful means of communication would be lost – much more so than if I were to lose my hearing. Ultimately, I feel that as humans, our most commonly used sense will be impacted by what best enriches our talents, and thus, it will vary from person to person.

If you had to, which sense would you give up? Why?

Though all of the five senses are extremely beneficial to humans as a whole, it is clear that someone can very properly function while lacking one, or occasionally even more than one, of the five senses. Very closely knit with the reasoning why the most commonly used sense is so pivotal to an individual, the same would go for the sense which could be deemed as rather inconsequential. If a sense does not prove to be to the advantage of the individual, the best of its usage can be subconsciously bypassed. Speaking for myself, I have to admit that my sense of smell would ultimately be the one which I would be most willing to part with. Though it may have its uses (the best of which being the ability to smell harmful substances such as smoke and dangerous chemicals), the chance that this sense may be life-saving is too small of a percentage to be put in a higher regard. This sense has few benefits to me and what I want most out of life, and therefore, would have to be the one which I would (reluctantly, yes) choose to sacrifice. Here’s to hoping that I would never encounter a terrible fire or natural gas leak…