Many Ways of Thinking by Lilia

In the second class of Academic English 2, we were all told to draw a world map, without looking at anything, in one minute. Then, we were told to walk around the room and look at how the other people drew their maps. Finally, we were told to draw another map.

When we started drawing the map, everyone was a little confused because we didn't get the point (at least I didn't). It was the first time for me to draw a map just from memory. I drew the main continents with Japan in the middle, the North and South Poles, and no islands like Indonesia or Cuba. When I started drawing, I felt pretty sure that everyone would draw it like me. But once I went around and looked at the others, I saw that theirs were totally different. Some had it upside down, some had it really detailed, and most of them had their home country at the center of the map. So even when their home country was a small island they drew it bigger and more clearly, which is what most people would do because that is the country they know best.

            This made me think a lot. I was used to drawing the type of map I drew because that is the way it is most commonly done in japan, where I have lived for 18 years. But it was different for others. For example, a girl from Indonesia, which is an archipelago that I couldn't even begin to draw because I didn't know the accurate shape and position, had her country in perfect details. And most everybody had drawn Japan, even though it is a small island. This showed that we normally draw the countries we are related to on the map correctly.

            The second time we drew the map, a lot of us drew it differently. The people who couldn't finish the map the first time because they had it so detailed were able to finish it this time around. Some drew the small islands that they had forgotten before.  And because of concentrating on the little islands, some people actually forgot to draw the North and South poles that they had put on the previous map (that was me). Some people changed the center of the map. Seeing all that, I learned how easily people can be influenced and come to have a different point of view by just looking at a different idea.

            I thought by doing this assignment, I got a good idea that there are many ways of looking at things and the way we look at things is based on the knowledge we have. Also, people have a tendency to relate everything to their own life or background. And also our ideas can be altered just because of some one else’s idea, whether it is better or not. We can actually forget our own idea so easily because we start to concentrate on others opinions. I don't think this is a bad thing as long as you can keep your own idea in mind. It is necessary and important to think in different ways and combine others ideas with your own. This can even maybe lead you to a perfect answer. In conclusion, any kind of matter or idea can be changed and maybe even improved by discussing it and sharing it.

Lilia Yamakawa