In the past month, I have started this daily habit of running on the elliptical for 30-45 minutes while listening to a podcast. Before I started this habit, I had a hard time finding podcasts I liked to listen to. The reason that I was so focused on podcasts is that having some form of entertainment was the only way for me to start exercising. Thankfully, my search for a good podcast quickly ended when Spotify recommended me This American Life. I heard of this radio show before, but I didn't know much about it. The moment I listened to its most recent episode, I knew I was hooked. Although my current obsession with This American Life (TAL) may be a phase I am going through, I have learned some interesting things from this podcast series that never came across my mind before.
After listening to at least 10 episodes, I started to realize that my world that I know of is so small. I have lived in America for 12 years, yet I haven't explored the rich and diverse landscape that America offers. As much as I want to meet all types of Americans in person, I will most likely not have the opportunity to do so. Despite the fact that I will not visit every corner of the country, this radio series helps me imagine what it is like to be in places I never been to, from the woods in Michigan to the Mexican border near Brownsville. I know that listening to radio is not the same as watching a documentary or video about these issues, but TAL encourages me to look beyond my local community. Although I partly listen to TAL because it is entertaining and fun, another reason I listen is to be aware of the state of the country.
I have learned to be more understanding of others. Before, it was a lot easier for me to judge someone because I had no idea about their past. All I looked at was their current situation to draw a conclusion about what type of person they are. Now, however, I realized that this type of thinking is very shallow and superficial. From these stories, I noticed that a lot of people's lives are a lot more complicated than they appear on the surface. For instance, one of the producers interviewed a college dropout. Before the story even started, I thought he was lazy and liked to party so that is why he dropped out. Although he didn't do his homework and skipped classes, I was wrong about the reason behind his poor academic behavior. He told the interviewer that he was very embarrassed to ask for help because he came from an inner city school and he didn't even have the money to buy books. This made it hard for him to do his homework or complete any assignments, so he ended up leaving the college. From this podcast episode, I learned that the events and circumstances that caused someone to be his or her current self is complex. I felt bad for him because he went to college on a scholarship but ended up working as a front desk person at a gym. In my opinion, TAL reminds me of analyzing various aspects of characters from a piece of fiction, except these characters are real people.
Before I became an avid listener of TAL, I thought that the average joe doesn't have an interesting story to tell. However, I was totally wrong. Considering the fact that a substantial amount of stories in TAL feature local residents from many locations, I started to wonder what story can I share with the producers in TAL. The problem is that there are so many stories in my life and I have to choose one out of the hundreds that I have, which reminds me of college essays...
After listening to at least 10 episodes, I started to realize that my world that I know of is so small. I have lived in America for 12 years, yet I haven't explored the rich and diverse landscape that America offers. As much as I want to meet all types of Americans in person, I will most likely not have the opportunity to do so. Despite the fact that I will not visit every corner of the country, this radio series helps me imagine what it is like to be in places I never been to, from the woods in Michigan to the Mexican border near Brownsville. I know that listening to radio is not the same as watching a documentary or video about these issues, but TAL encourages me to look beyond my local community. Although I partly listen to TAL because it is entertaining and fun, another reason I listen is to be aware of the state of the country.
I have learned to be more understanding of others. Before, it was a lot easier for me to judge someone because I had no idea about their past. All I looked at was their current situation to draw a conclusion about what type of person they are. Now, however, I realized that this type of thinking is very shallow and superficial. From these stories, I noticed that a lot of people's lives are a lot more complicated than they appear on the surface. For instance, one of the producers interviewed a college dropout. Before the story even started, I thought he was lazy and liked to party so that is why he dropped out. Although he didn't do his homework and skipped classes, I was wrong about the reason behind his poor academic behavior. He told the interviewer that he was very embarrassed to ask for help because he came from an inner city school and he didn't even have the money to buy books. This made it hard for him to do his homework or complete any assignments, so he ended up leaving the college. From this podcast episode, I learned that the events and circumstances that caused someone to be his or her current self is complex. I felt bad for him because he went to college on a scholarship but ended up working as a front desk person at a gym. In my opinion, TAL reminds me of analyzing various aspects of characters from a piece of fiction, except these characters are real people.
Before I became an avid listener of TAL, I thought that the average joe doesn't have an interesting story to tell. However, I was totally wrong. Considering the fact that a substantial amount of stories in TAL feature local residents from many locations, I started to wonder what story can I share with the producers in TAL. The problem is that there are so many stories in my life and I have to choose one out of the hundreds that I have, which reminds me of college essays...
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