What is the nature of logic and perception? The first step is to discover the meaning of logic and perception to understand nature and how it relates to critical thinking. According to Dictionary.com Unabridged, the meaning of logic is “the system or principles of reasoning applicable to any branch of knowledge or study (2006).” According to The American Heritage Dictionary, the meaning of perception is “insight, intuition, or knowledge gained by perceiving (2006).” Continuing on is my experience with how my perception of a real situation was far from the actual reality, what I thought was going on, what was truly going on, why there was a difference, what I learned, and how my critical thinking process changed.
From what I have experienced in pregnancy was far from the actual reality that I perceived. I have been with my boyfriend, Dean, for almost eight years now and our relationship has been one hell of a ride. Dean already has a 10-year-old daughter from his previous relationship and he would always hint to me that he wanted a son. The thought of having children freaked me out and I always wanted to get married first. All my friends have children and they are single parents, I want my children to grow up with their real mother and father as I did. Dean and I also fought a great deal and I did not think Dean and I were ready to make such a commitment. Finally, I gave in thinking maybe a baby would bring us closer and help us grow out of our immature lifestyles.
July 16, 2008, was the day I found out I was pregnant and gave my boyfriend the good news, and he was ecstatic. During my first trimester, Dean was very supportive and so good to me that I could not have been happier. I had a set schedule, I would go to work Monday through Friday, come home and clean the house, cook dinner, and wait for Dean to come home from work, except Monday nights when I had to go to school. I did things I never thought I would see myself doing. Dean and I were beginning to have a normal relationship.
As I fell into six months of pregnancy, things started to change. Dean began to drink almost every night with his friends, come home late if he even came home, and acted careless and grouchy towards me all the time. He did not help me get things ready for the baby, I did practically everything myself. I was beginning to think maybe he was losing interest in me because my body was changing or maybe his plan was to get me pregnant so that he could lock me down. All I knew was that I was beginning to feel depressed, emotional, and unhappy with myself. It was starting to affect my school and job performance.
In December, I packed my things and moved to my parent’s house. I needed to clear my head, and I needed to talk to someone who has been through what I was going through, like my mother. She had me write down the things Dean and I would fight about and how I handled those situations. When I retaliate during arguments, I tend to yell, say stupid things, use the silent treatment, or pack my things and leave. I would overreact on little things and I would blame everything on Dean. I guess my personal perceptual block was that I needed to change. I spent so much time pointing out his mistakes that I did not realize my own.
I am now eight months pregnant and Dean and I are doing much better. As soon as Dean began to notice that I was making an effort to change, I started to notice a change in him. He now takes me to all my doctor appointments, he spends more time with me, he has been very productive, and Dean and I hardly get into any arguments. I am juggling work, school, and pregnancy and I am doing just fine. Things are truly starting to come together and so is the beginning of a new life and a family.
My experience with this pregnancy has made me into a much more responsible and matured adult. I am doing things I never thought I would be doing like grocery shopping, cooking dinner every night, cleaning and washing clothes, like a housewife. Before this, I was lazy, my attitude was very childish, I did not cook, I would not go home after work, and I would always pick fights with Dean. Before I became pregnant, I drank and partied with my friends every week just to avoid problems at home but little did I know, I was adding to the problems. I have learned to deal with issues differently and for the better, like talking nicely or writing letters to express my feelings instead of yelling. Taking short walks or short drives to calm down helps too instead of packing my things and disappearing all the time.
Things are now clearer to me regarding the nature of logic and perception and how it relates to critical thinking. Making assumptions and judgments on situations before experiencing them is easy but going through the experiences is learning the truth. I never knew what a big impact pregnancy would have on my life until now. Having children use to be the last thing on my mind but now that I am having one, I could not be more anxious and excited. I am growing and so is my relationship that I thought would eventually end. I have also come to realize through my experience is that people should not wait for others to change; the only person they can change is themselves.
Reference
Logic.(n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v1.1). Retrieved February 18, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/logic
Perception.(n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Retrieved February 18, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/perception