Reflection: Brandon

After looking back on the trip I realize I have learned quite a bit about the psychology of other people and myself. I learned how people cope with natural disasters like the one in New Orleans and the strip mining of the Appalachians. Most people tend to run away and start something new but some stay and fight what’s happening. I also learned how people in the group tend to relate to stress and dealing with these things emotionally. I also learned how other people see me better and I learned how to deal with these things. I felt virtually unaffected by most of these things and learned better how to deal with people who feel stronger about these issues.
People seem to get angry and frustrated when dealing with the harsh brutality of losing your home and life you’ve worked so hard to create in one fell swoop or the slow brutality of poisoning. Hurricanes seem to affect people by destroying home and finances and the general integrity of a city and usually hit people in the sense of why they want to feel safe. Now poisoning on the other hand hits people in the sense that it shows people how little people really care about other people. I think both situation show people how they care more about their own safety and how they fear ever being in either situation. So people tend to get angry at the fact that they really can’t change anything and they could be targets too. This is all speculation in my own mind. This also affected me in its own way in showing me I should show more sympathy to people who are experiencing these things in these states of mind. I really learned a lot about my own sympathy and others psychology in these matters. I think this learning will help me deal with other people.
Blogged by Brandon