Journal #1 Embarrassment

1.) Embarrassment. To me, it is a dilemma which may cause a person to be ashamed of themselves or of something they are in the process of doing. I do not understand why people become so embarrassed over certain things which seem silly from my point of view, such as public speaking. Even in a small classroom, people may blush and become bashful in front of a small audience. From the audience's point of view, this is nothing to be embarrassed about. I may say these things about public speaking and how silly it is to become embarrassed over it, yet, I am being extremely hypocritical.

2.) What does it feel like to lose one's privacy? Morrie managed to find out the hard way that it is excruciatingly embarrassing. On pages 8-9, we are given a run down on Morrie's drastic changes to his lifestyle which he is forced to make. Examples of this would be; not being able to drive since he doesn't have enough strength in his legs to hit the brake, having someone who you barely know change you into and out of your bathing suit, and to expose his suffering in front of his Social Psychology class.
Yet again on page 11, it is described how Morrie must ask his colleagues to hold a beaker while he urinates into it. Although most individuals would be well over embarrassed by this, Morrie barely shows his uneasiness of asking somebody to hold the beaker for him. I feel that these examples show that embarrassments such as these can only help a person overcome certain fears. Morrie is able to urinate in a beaker while not even showing embarrassment.

3.) I agree with the meanings of these examples, because the more and more I become embarrassed by a certain thing, the more comfortable I become with doing it. These example show embarrassment on a very large scale, and the same with their meanings, but their meanings can be used for everyday things, such as public speaking or even offering answers in a classroom. Before I had read this book, I did not entirely understand how much embarrassment can help to overcome certain things. It is much clearer to me as to how profitable it is to be embarrassed.

4.) Do you agree that embarrassment can only help one to become more comfortable about a certain topic or action?
Yes, I support myself with the importance of being embarrassed every now and then. Many people are yet to realize the importance of being embarrassed, and many view embarrassment poorly. Although it is very awkward at the time of embarrassment, it will only help to build self-confidence in the future.