Your Reading Prompt
Setting: The End of an In-Person Conversation
“Look… nobody’s perfect. Nobody is blameless. But as we sit here, all I’m feeling is… a sense of assurance. At this moment, I feel like you are someone I’m better for knowing.
“I respect you. I value this interaction; I think we should keep interacting. I believe it would be a good thing. So put my number in your phone so we can text. Or let’s trade emails, or connect on Instagram. Let’s have coffee once in a while, or lunch, or ice cream. Whatever you’re good with. Let’s just keep doing this once in a while. What do you say?”
The Thought Exercise Explained
Perhaps you read the above monologue as if I, Jake the blogger, am the speaker. Or maybe you read it with someone else in mind, real or imaginary. The point is there are variables which affect how you read it. Here are examples which, if accepted, dictate subtext and mood:
- Did you read it as a dating scenario?
- Friendship or family scenario?
- Did you read it as a first meeting?
- A reunion after years of estrangement?
- Did you begin filling in the backstory or imagining the aftermath?
- A happy or a sad encounter?
The Exercise – Your Turn
Reread the above monologue with one of the below identities in mind. If it’s more comfortable, picture yourself as a neutral third party, watching the speaker say the above remarks to someone else. Here are possible identities for the speaker:
- Best friend from teen years (first meetup after years of only interacting on social media)
- Someone who was only a familiar face in school (first meetup after becoming good friends online)
- Person on a second date
- Estranged relative (first encounter after years apart)
- Former coworker (months ago one of you quit or was let go)
- Someone you used to attend the same ward with
- Someone you only interacted with at stake activities over the years (first meetup after becoming friends online)
- Former Priesthood or Relief Society leader (whom you previously only interacted with at Church)
- A complete stranger you met a couple hours earlier and have had fun chatting with
Lastly, as a post-election spin, consider combining one of the below political positions with one of the above identities:
- A MAGA acquaintance
- A Democratic Socialist acquaintance
In the comments below, share how the person’s identity affects your reading. How does this context influence your feelings and takeaways? This is one of those no-wrong-answers exercises.
I guess for me, it came across as salesperson-y and very “I” centric. I read the whole post 3x before I was able to sort out that the vibe I was dealing with was a structural necessity – it is the words and intent of 1 point of view. It’s “I think” and “I believe” and “[I want] my number in your phone”. It shifts to “Let’s” (which is “I” + “You” combined usually) with some options. There is just the 1 “whatever you” statement before it shifts back to the “Let’s keep in touch” directive.