In his Spotlight session on Monday, Mike Wiggins cited Brené Brown’s research on the link between vulnerability and creativity. Brown is a social scientist who uses qualitative research methods to understand human behavior, and her research has led her to the conclusion that a joyful, creative life depends on embracing vulnerability. When fear of vulnerability leads us to numb our emotions or pretend to be perfect, authenticity, joy, and creativity are smothered. To learn more, watch her popular TED talk on the power of vulnerability.
- Do you think Brown accurately diagnoses the human condition?
- She provocatively states that all of the “certainty” in our religious and political discourse is actually an attempt to mask vulnerability. How would you respond? If she’s right, how does such religious or political “certainty” harm ourselves?
- In her TED talk, Brown only hints at the ramifications her research has on our understanding of creativity. What role does vulnerability have in creativity?
- Brown’s not interested is relating her findings to spiritual wellness, but you might be. What do her findings indicate about our relationship with God or the body of Christ?
One response to “The Power of Vulnerability”
I think that Brown has described the human condition with quite a bit of accuracy. I think that the discussion about religious certainty is extremely interesting to be a part of. I would agree with her that it can be used as a mask in order to cover up vulnerability. It’s easy to believe in something, not necessarily religion, and let your life circle around that belief. In my opinion, this is exactly what a mask does. It inhibits creativity and the free thought of the mind in relation to anything, not even art or writing specifically. When we are so ‘certain’ of something, it is easy to allow our minds to be closed and then disregard anything that doesn’t follow the strict boundaries we have confined ourselves to. I think that vulnerability is a key to self exploration, and yes, creativity. Being vulnerable isn’t only physical, but it can be emotional or mental. Exploring new frontiers and ideas requires a certain amount of vulnerability and open minded-ness.
In specific relation to one’s relationship with Christ, I think that , because our faith is always changing, it is not as constrictive as other forms of certainty can be.
I think that one of he most important things in life is to explore different things, and remain open to the ideas of all different kinds of people. Creativity is what makes humans individuals: and it would be a shame to see anyone use certainty as a mask for anything and become closed to the ideas this world has to offer.