Chapter 2 Blog Post

What caught my eye in chapter 2 was the idea of the narrative. The text defines it as "a story agreed upon by a group of people. This public story explains the way the world works and the meaning of human life, including what is good for humans to be and do" (37). So based on this definition, we have a lot of narratives out there, or ways that people view the word, and we wonder why communication ethics are hard to define. We can break the world up into so many camps like religious, political, or scientific ones, but then within those we can break them up into a multitude of smaller groups. So how in the world do we ever agree on anything. It's kind of like a family get together where everyone tries to tell their account of the same story. Each person sees the event through their own lens, and decides which parts are important to tell, which parts are good, which parts are bad, and what their rhetorical function is. At times it can get frustrating, but in order for that not to happen it is crucial that we ask why their narrative is the way it is.

As I have come to realize over time, no matter how close I think I am with someone, I will always have my differences with them. Sometimes my beliefs contrast with a close friend, and I have learned that in order to avoid arguments or fights, I need to ask why. I need to put myself in their shoes, try to see it from their perspective and through the lens that they have acquired through their life experiences. Not only does that help understand them, but it also helps understand yourself and gives you a new ability to engage with different narratives.