The Experiment

Hello, my name is Aaron. I’m currently enrolled in a course titled “Living Deliberately in the 21st century”. It is a college writing seminar that examines what it means to live deliberately. We’ve read a series of articles and books that deal with this topic. For our latest assignment we are conducting a living experiment. For this experiment we are to change one aspect of our life in each of the six following categories:

Transportation:

I am fortunate enough to live in a city with easy access to public transportation. So I don’t have a car with me at college. I normally use the metro or a bus to travel to work and Judo practice. Then one day on the weekends, I set aside a few hours to go to the Smithsonian museums. So how will I make a change in this category? I have decided that since my weekend museum trips don’t serve a vital purpose (other than to keep my sanity) I’ll find an alternate method of transportation other than the metro. In order to get to the museum I will either ride a bike or block off extra time and walk there. After all, walking a few extra miles would be good for me.

Food:

I am very involved in Judo. I compete regularly and because of that I need to maintain my weight. This weekend I will be fighting at a tournament in Philadelphia. In order to make sure that I make weight on Saturday I have been eating primarily vegetables and fruit for nutrients and carbohydrates. Along with this I eat lean meat to provide the necessary amino acids. In order to change my food intake I’ve decided to stop eating meat.

Consumerism:

Since I have a college meal plan, I rarely shop for groceries. In the event that I grocery shop I will use only my reusable bags and buy things that do not produce waste. So over this next week anything that comes in a wrapper is off limits.

Technology:

I often waste what little free time that I have on the internet. Therefore during this week I will only use the internet for school related research and activities only. So that means spending more time doing research and being productive instead of just staring at Facebook.

Positive Impact/Political Action:

I work as a Tutor for DC Reads. As a tutor I work in NE, DC with 8 and 9 year old boys on reading and math. I greatly enjoy working with them in spite of their ups and downs. I normally tutor two days a week but this up coming week is their spring break so the after school program is on spring break too. I will use my newfound time to help those around me. One of my neighbors is planning on joining the Marines and wants me to help them develop a fitness program so they will be able to pass the entry physical test. This is a great opportunity for me to use the knowledge I have gained from my competition training to help others.

Health & Happiness:

Judo helps keep me active but one thing that I have always wanted to do is meditate. I will take a half hour each day to meditate. Meditation will help me relax and clear my mind of the many thoughts that are constantly swirling around in my head. This is a vital thing for a stressed college student.

This is going to be an interesting week...