Blog #3 in a 7-part installment:
My title refers to our recent Senior Chapel, which occurred on Tuesday, May 22, 2007. Being part of the Senior Chapel Committee gave me access to all of the Senior Chapel secrets. After days and (literally) hundreds of hours spent on perfecting our program, we devoted an hour and a half to entertaining the Senior Class in the first of our final days at Punahou. Senior Chapel kicks off the graduation season so it is generally known to be the event which sets the tone for the rest of the festivities to come. When I wasn't on stage performing a skit or singing a song with my peers, I had front row seats from which I monitored each stage that passed. Following along with each group that performed, I was able to get my half an hour of people watching in. Some performances caused an uproar of applause, shouting of names, and "chee-hoo's", while others were relatively uneventful, the performers unknown. This got me to think about what makes a person likeable or what makes them entertaining. Is it the antics that they perform or the charisma that they exude?
According to "http://www.prometheusinstitute.net/opinion/jh92006.htm", there are 5 characteristics common in likeable people.
1) They are positive
2) They control their insecurities
3) They make themselves valuable
4) They eliminate judgments
5) They are people of conviction
In the time I spent people-watching in Senior Chapel, these criteria are true. The most likeable people in the senior class are those who display these characteristics. I think I am a fairly likeable person, but everyone could stand to be more likeable so I want to try the 5 steps out for myself.
However, it is interesting to see how many 5 step processes there are to improving you character, available online. Since when did our personalities become defined by 5 step processes? Nowadays it seems as though anyone who wants to self-help themselves have the resources to do so. Although most "5-step" programs are effective, I find it strange that they are so popular! Liberal ideals would encourage people to think for themselves and to be their own people, yet our culture is so dependent on 5-step processes. Psychologists, doctors of sociology, and just about everyone else can write about likeability now, and many have made a career teaching people about it. Personally, although it is very tempting to fall for every self-help program, I am also conflicted as to whether or not I want to follow the crowd, per se, and become a robot of societal liking, or just be who I am and say "to hell with them" to people who clash with me. Does it show character if I be who I am suppossed to be or does it show weakness/an inability to mold my personality? I always believed that following guidelines would make me into someone that I'm not, and they would severely restrict my lifestyle, which would be comprised of staying in bounds rather than bouncing where I want. Social restraints are tricky bounds to play with. We never know when we're going to get burned. In this particular instance, though, personality is something that never used to be contained. What kind of world are we living in if we can be classified by 5-step programs? One thing is for certain, though. The programs seem to work! While the suggested tips above seem general enough, they really mean "cater to popular society". How do you show yourself to be more positive? In what way does it come out and make itself apparent to people around you? The way one goes about making themselves likeable is by following expectations--acting in your specified gender, social position, etc.,--while still maintaining the criteria of the program. With all the restrictions that are put up by these things, it is no wonder that our lives are so stressful. [more later?!]
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