In “Being in the World” and “Gadamer and the Game of Understanding,” the authors discuss human interactions, talents, and skills. Both materials discuss people’s relationship with things and the world. They ask similar questions such as: what causes dialogue to break down? How do we engage with objects in the world? The synergy between dialogue-play and occupations is explored. In “Gadamer and the Game of Understanding,” the authors stress the idea of “preserving an authentic engagement in dialogue-play because it is crucial for our education, development, and existence as human beings” (75, Ed. Riall, Russell, et al.) In the film, a similar idea is addressed when they say “we have to learn how not to be seduced by technology and keep the desire to be humans.” Concealed in both materials is the exploration of humanity and the question of what it means to simply be.

The film explores these ideas by regarding skills, objects, and activities while the essay addresses in detail how we interact with people. Furthermore, even though the essay refers to the Other as a person, the concept of the Other can be applied to the film as well. The Other is able to become many things, such as a skill, an object, a person or a situation. The importance of staying engaged with the Other in order to grow, learn, and play is more crucial than the form the Other takes. Both materials write and speak about the ways choosing to interact with an activity or person shape how we observe research and life in general. In the film, emotions and occupations are regarded as the factors that change our perspective whereas, in the essay, this same shift is addressed as the back-and-forth dance between two open-minded people.

The two most important concepts in “Gadamer and the Game of Understanding” were the dialogue-play and the idea of understanding. When dealing with research, it is important to observe play not as a “subjective act or attitude, but rather as an activity that goes on between the players and has a life, meaning, essence, or spirit of its own,” (76, Ed. Riall, Russell, et al.) Yet, one question remains: how do we accomplish this observation successfully? For me, it is through openness and understanding, as the essay considers as well. Without the open and “shared language between I and Thou,” no truth or play can be reached. Being open and understanding about research is crucial for human evolution. If we practice radical closedness, there is no room for “rich transformative experience and cultivation,” (82, Ed. Riall, Russell, et al.) In light of this, I will keep an open mind when conducting research for my projects in order for me to experience genuine human connections and learn from new and strange experiences.

Regarding the film, I will consider my skills and activities as facets of myself that will shape and bend my assumptions towards the data and research within future projects. As it is said in the film, “emotions and moods come from interactions and, thus, transform our reality.” Hence, when reflecting about how to do my research projects, I will take emotions into account and regard them as an ongoing factor affecting my academic work. A recent example of this practice was my experience while watching the film. As I watched, I noticed there were mostly male figures speaking about the topic and this affected my perception towards the information encapsulated in the film. Even though it was an informative film, me being a female influenced how I viewed the data I was observing, which is another factor to take into account for future projects. Part of authenticity, too, is being aware of how you respond to various situations and taking your reactions into account.

Overall, both covered materials taught me new ways of considering research and handling data, although I would have liked to read and watch more diverse point of views that spoke about the whole dialogue-play spectrum. Nevertheless, these materials opened my mind to becoming more involved with the world around me and valuing the strange meanings offered by others because it is through this path that we learn, grow and flourish as human beings.