Why? Why do I open up my life on the world wide web? Why open up to anyone at all? Is there a difference in how open one should be, blogging or in person? What kind of openness, vulnerability or transparency is appropriate or acceptable on a blog?
or Maybe if you don't have a blog, how vulnerable or transparent should you be with others?
I find it funny that I have a blog were I talk about personal things, things that leave me vulnerable. Why? Why on earth would I tell you, strangers and friends alike, all this stuff about me and my life? Then I sometimes wonder, Where do I get off thinking people actually care about my writings? Do I really have anything worth while to say? --- don't answer that! I guess you are the only ones who know the answers to why you read but for me, why do I write my stories here for the world to read? Why am I honest about what's in my life? I started thinking about this when I had someone tell me that they would never share openly on the Internet, they just read other peoples comments on facebook and blogs, but they don't let people know where they are at; not their strengths or their weaknesses. I felt sorry for this person because the best thing, the most freeing thing, I have ever done in my life is to share my greatest weaknesses openly. I think being real and honest about life is very freeing and it does leave you vulnerable at times, but I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not and wear a mask. For me blogging is part of this, it helps me feel free.
But that said I still don't write everything here.. **a grateful sigh is heard across the land**
This is how I decide what to write, I either am going about my day and I have a thought or an experience that I instantly know I need to blog or I know it's time to blog so I sit down, start writing until something worth posting comes to the surface. Not everything I want to say do I write ***another grateful sigh is heard across the land**
So I blog and that's for me .... Some of you don't, so why do you choose to be open and vulnerable with people in real life? Or why are you not open with people?(if you'll share) And some of you do blog, what about you? Why do you do it?
How vulnerable are you? Have you found that being real, becoming unmasked is freeing?
4 comments:
Being open and vulnerable is freeing but before I was completely open on my own blog, I wasn't sure I could ever do it (or would want to ever do it). But it has been freeing. Painful at times, but more freeing than painful. And I don't mind being open and having people know me. But to each their own. It wouldn't be for everyone, I'm sure. And there have to be limits to what you post. There is great value in holding certain things close and mulling them over with only God by your side. How do I know what to post and what not to? I ask God.
Niki I love your blog for the honsety you've had.
I don't think blogging is for everyone but to be open and honest should be for everyone(in the right places and times for each person). And there are some things too personal to write or to share, but I wonder if as a whole people/we need to be more open, more vulnerable. But like you said it's painful and even I know that sometimes that first step in opening up sometimes seems too scary, or I think it would leave me too vulnerable, so I don't, even though I think God asks it of me.
So I am not a blogger. Blogs are interesting when people are REAL. Niki is an example of a real person; so are you Cindy.
So why be open and vulnerable? Well is there REALLY any other way to live? It seems to me that Jesus spent lots of his time hanging out with those that were open and vulnerable.
Since Carol has been gone I have kind of stumbled into this way of living - not something I made a conscious choice to do. When you have a great big hurt in your life hiding it inside does not seem to be helpful. Lots of us seem to think that "not talking about it" ourselves or with those hurting helps. In my experience this is just not so. Connecting with people where they are really experiencing life is in my view the way of Jesus. Sharing deep hurts; struggles and the joys of life results in deeper connections with each other; deeper connections with our true Father and in my experience a deeper joy in living.
I think that openly sharing our lives is something that God asks us to do--not throwing our problems around haphazardly--but speaking honestly about the difficulties and joys of life and knowing God. That is how we learn in community. the WWW is just a different sort of community. I'm thankful that you have chosen to share.
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