Yes, I've been gone from here for a month, and YES, I am sorry for the lapse in the blogging work... however, I've been busy putting on plays, travelling in Europe and swimming in my very own estrogen pool, also known as home. So much to say here and so few words to express it all...
I've recently become very sensitive to our inability to face each other and tell the truth. Not the mean "your face looks like it got run over by a truck" truth, but the type of truth that makes us vulnerable- the type of truth that makes us more human. In part, because our truths can often be recognized as personal opinions, I suppose people shy from personal honesty for fear of confrontation. Immersed in the teen world as a high school teacher, these inabilities become apparent. I watch brave kids bare their souls while peers, uncomfortable with this vulnerability, run in fear. I watch kids say they do not want what they so obviously desire. I don't understand how society has taught them to close up and protect themselves at all costs, but in so many cases, this seems to be the lesson learned. "Stiff upper lip kids... don't show them they've hurt you..." Why? Why isn't it okay to be vulnerable? Why isn't it okay to get hurt, be hurt, act hurt, then heal without hiding all the hurt? Wouldn't it be better for us to tell each other how we really feel? Again, I'm not talking about doing this in anger- but with kindness and without a desire to hurt others, wouldn't it be nice to just be able to say to each other: "I think you are amazing... It hurts me when you ignore me... I hate the fact we don't laugh... I want you to know who I really am..." After months or years in relationships, we occasionally get to this level of intimacy with our spouses, but for many people, that is it. How amazing might our world be if we could have open, kind and truly honest relationships with those around us?
And yet, we teach our children to fear the judgement of others... to hide their vulnerable emotions from outsiders... we are so afraid of being hurt, do we forget to connect?
No comments:
Post a Comment