Vulnerability

I have been thinking a lot about vulnerability lately--especially its relationship to writing. When we commit language to the page, we are saying something about ourselves, whether that be our intimate secrets or our abstract thinking about a theoretical issue. And if we make that page public, it is a further commitment to openness and vulnerability. Some might say that abstract thinking is easier to share because such work seems more distanced from our affective domain. On some level we still buy the story of scientific objectivity. But I disagree. Just go to an academic conference and challenge someone's paper. Think about your reaction when you receive a peer review of a paper. Academics are always worried that they are not smart enough, that someone is more brilliant than they are. That is why merit systems work so well!

But if we are going to write things that matter--whether that be a poem, a play, or a dissertation--we have to "put ourselves out there." We have to feel a bit of fear and let ourselves be vulnerable. We have to be willing to change our minds, both in the sense of making another decision and developing new neural pathways.

None of this is easy. That is why working in a group of other writers who are trustworthy and honest is so important. They can create the conditions for you to dip your toe in the water before taking the polar bear plunge into language.

Here are a couple of interesting links that make me think about vulnerability this week.

Brene Brown: On Vulnerability

The Monty Hall Problem