Anais Nin's A Private Experience

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” – Anais Nin The words of Anais Nin make me think of the Adiche single story we heard through her Ted Talk and then again through her short story, A Private Experience. How can we know what is out there and who’s out there if we do not first have an initial meeting and put aside our stereotypes and single stories? Lines must be crossed and barriers must be torn down and that is exactly what FYS has helped us do. As this class comes to a close, it is only appropriate to sit back and reflect on all I’ve learned. From the first day to the last, one thing has continually stuck with me: relationships. FYS
But, aren’t we all like that? We tend to be so close minded and stick to what we know and who we know. I know I for one am guilty. One thing The Chosen taught us was to be open-minded. At first, Reuven stated that he wanted nothing to do with Danny, even yelling at him when he came to apologize and Danny was often found calling Reuven and his friends “apikorsim.” (Potok, p. 26) I found it intriguing as we watched the boys develop a close friendship though there were many bumps along the way. The boys would have never met if it wasn’t for that fateful day at the ballpark in which their worlds crossed paths. Their conversations went from what happened at the baseball game, too confiding in each other about what path to take for their future careers. I can assume that a lot of relationships work like that, an inciting incident that’s followed by good days and bad, highs and lows. No relationship is perfect, but we must strive to make those relationship
While his contribution to the world was phenomenal, his relationship therefore lacked. If there is one thing I learned from Bell it was that how you prioritize your time is hugely important on how you will live. Yes, he loved his wife dearly, but with his inventions he didn’t have the time that she deserved and because of that something in their relationship was always missing. We must pick and choose our priorities and I don’t think that Bell did a very good job in that area. We must realize the relationships we have with others will always be more fulfilling than any amount of work can offer