Shared Experiences

There's something very reassuring about knowing other people in the world have shared some of your experiences. I'm very much drawn to the field of psychology because I want to understand why the chemicals in my head do what they do, and how those same chemicals influence other people differently. I've found that quite a few people are drawn to the subject for similar reasons.

This past semester, I took a class called Research Methods. Auburn University requires the class before taking most other psychology classes. Because it's required, the class draws a large crowd of psychology students, all who love the field and many of which share certain experiences. During this class, I met another person with OCD--the first time I'd met anyone with OCD. As we talked, I felt myself sigh several times with relief. There was a real human being sitting next to me who understood how I felt on a daily basis.

Me: I'm sorry, but I just overheard your conversation. You have OCD?
Her: Yes, I do.
Me: Oh my goodness, me too.
Her: Real OCD?
Me: I think so. It seems pretty real. Do you count?
Her: Yep. I have to wash my hands a certain amount every night. My boyfriend makes so much fun of me.

And just like that, I was no longer alone.

We may not have exactly the same experiences--for instance, I don't count things, I have a song constantly stuck in my head--but knowing someone else near me understood what I felt made a world of a difference.

Back to the Blog

Fun fact: It is very difficult to pick up a new habit. This is my attempt to blog: take two. I'll be successful this time, I'm sure (sarcasm).

I am currently enrolled at Auburn University as a freshman. As part of the Honors College, I am taking a seminar class called the Muslim-Christian Dialogue. The class consists of around ten highly intellectual students that enjoy discussing and debating aspects of the Muslim world and Muslim-Christian relations.

As part of our grade, we were asked to prepare a short presentation about a topic we found of interest. My friend, Parker, and I wanted to evaluate the controversy surrounding American Sniper,  directed by Clint Eastwood. We created a list of questions, then set about interviewing both friends and strangers that we found around campus. We were fascinated by the multitude of opinions found on the subject.

Here are the questions we asked.

• Have you seen American Sniper?
• If yes:
• How do you think it portrayed American Military?
• What did you think of the main character and author of the book?
• How do you think it portrayed Muslims?
• Have you ever met a Muslim?
• If no:
• This is Safa. What do you know about her faith?
• Do you have any questions for her?
• If yes:
• How closely have you known someone who is Muslim?
• How much do you think you know about the faith?
• Do you have any questions?
• If no:
• What do you know about the controversy surrounding the movie? (If something, explain. Expound on this.)
• If they don’t know about the controversy: It’s the story of Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in American history.  people are divided on how the movie portrays the American military and the Muslims they were fighting, resulting in an opinion on Muslims in general.
• Critics to the movie argue that Chris Kyle’s personal views, which are often racist in nature, are made to reflect the view of the entire American military. The movie was called by Brandon Griggs of CNN to be a cultural phenomenon. How do you think this reflects American culture and society?
• What is your view about Muslim portrayal in American media and culture?
• Have you ever met a Muslim?
• If no:
• This is Safa. What do you know about her faith?
• Do you have any questions for her?
• If yes:
• How closely have you known someone who is Muslim?
• How much do you think you know about the faith?
• Do you have any questions about the Muslim faith?

• Have you seen American Sniper?
• If yes:
• How do you think it portrayain character and author of the book?
• How do you think it portrayed Muslims?
• Have you ever met a Muslim?
• If no:
• This is Safa. What do you know about her faith?
• Do you have any questions for her?
• If yes:
• How closely have you known someone who is Muslim?
• How much do you think you know about the faith?
• Do you have any questions?
• If no:
• What do you know about the controversy surrounding the movie? (If something, explain. Expound on this.)
• If they don’t know about the controversy: It’s the story of Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in American history.  people are divided on how the movie portrays the American military and the Muslims they were fighting, resulting in an opinion on Muslims in general.
• Critics to the movie argue that Chris Kyle’s personal views, which are often racist in nature, are made to reflect the view of the entire American military. The movie was called by Brandon Griggs of CNN to be a cultural phenomenon. How do you think this reflects American culture and society?
• What is your view about Muslim portrayal in American media and culture?
• Have you ever met a Muslim?
• If no:
• This is Safa. What do you know about her faith?
• Do you have any questions for her?
• If yes:
• How closely have you known someone who is Muslim?
• How much do you think you know about the faith?
• Do you have any questions about the Muslim faith?