Answer

Reflection

Performing different tasks elicits emotional reactions and feelings from the person performing the task. In testing the assertion made by Camacho-Morles et al.(2021), I performed a pleasure and a philanthropy activity to assess the feelings elicited by both activities. The pleasure activity was a video game contest played at my house. I invited a friend for a scheduled video game.  The game was planned to determine who was the best in playing the game since the friend had on several occasions boasted I would bot best him at the game. I, therefore, chose the activity because I enjoy playing video games and would also get to settle the bet on the best player when it comes to the game. The philanthropy activity was volunteering at a soup kitchen in the neighborhood.  It involved going to help with services such as cooking and cleaning the utensils used at the facility. I chose the activity because of the following reasons; first, to get a feel of what is feels like to volunteer in soup kitchens because it is something I had never done. Secondly, I chose the activity to help put a smile on the faces of several people and families who are grappling with the current difficult economic situation due to job losses stemming from the shutdown of the coronavirus pandemic

Pleasure Activity

Before playing the video game, I was feeling psyched n up and ready for the challenge. I kept thinking about the day since I was confident in my skills and ability to win the planned contest. Therefore, I looked forward to the day with a lot of expectation and put everything ready, including a camera to record my friend’s reactions after losing the contest.  The feeling changed during the game. Throughout the game, I was anxious and doubted my ability to win the planned game.  I realized I had underestimated my opponent.  His mastery of the game was topnotch, and therefore, success in the game would only come through hard work and smart thinking as both players were equally skilled. The anxiety and tension that consumed me throughout the game gave way to satisfaction after the game. I managed to win three of the four games that day, which made me the winner. I was overjoyed as I had prepared for and looked forward to the game for three days and therefore being able to win gave me a lot of satisfaction.

Philanthropic Activity

Before volunteering at the soup kitchen, I was feeling anxious. The anxiety stemmed from the fact that it was going to be my first time volunteering at any soup kitchen, and therefore, I did not know what to expect. I kept questioning my ability to handle the volume of work I would be assigned at the soup kitchen. The fear and anxiety that dominated me before the activity gave way to a feeling of relief and joy when conducting the activity. The relief stemmed from the smile of people receiving their warm meals from the team working at the soup kitchen on that day. Additionally, I realized the level of work assigned to the volunteers is not a lot and is manageable. After the activity, I was feeling contented and happy about what I had done.   I kept picturing the happy faces I was at the facility throughout the day, and their smiley faces after being handed their warm meals.  I was happy that such facilities exist to address the welfare of the needy in society.

The feeling when playing the game was different from what I exited because I had underestimated my opponent. I was surprised at his high level of skills and the fact that I needed to concentrate to win the games; the tension I felt is not something I expected to feel during the game. Concerning the soup kitchen, I felt the feeling of joy and relief was different from what I anticipated. I expected to find dull people at the facility but was surprised to find lively and happy volunteers and clients and the facility. The joy I felt from seeing the happiness the warm food brought to the faces of those who visited the organization lasted a long time. It is a feeling that has taught me to value and appreciate everything in life because there are several people who are deprived of the things most people take for granted.

Similarities

Playing the video game and volunteering at the soup kitchen elicited the following similar reactions; first, anxiety. I was anxious before the video game because playing video games is not an exact science, and therefore even a professional can lose to a less seasoned but lucky player.  Apart from the anxiety, I was also felt both fear and tension during the game.  We played a total of three games and lost the first game that was played. Losing the first game made me tense and increased the fear that I would lose all the other games and be ridiculed after boasting of my prowess in the game. Similarly, when volunteering at the soup kitchen made me feel anxious before the day because it was an activity I had not done before and therefore did not know what to expect.  Furthermore, I was afraid I would not deliver as expected, only to find out that it was not difficult to accomplish.

Differences

 The main difference in feeling between the two activities came after completing the tasks. After winning the video game contents, I was happy by the feeling did not last for long because I realized it was a trivial feat. Additionally, I had lost one game. On the other hand, after working at the soup kitchen, I  felt a  sense of contentment I had not felt before in my life. I was happy to have been part of a team that helped ensure all the seventy people who visited the soup kitchen on that day had access to warm food to eat.  Furthermore, the lessons learned from the experience also made the feeling different from winning the video game contest.