Recently, the body of a murdered woman was found on a branch of the American Tobacco Trail. One of my favorite haunts, I happened to pass by when the WRAL-TV news truck was on the prowl for people to interview. You can see the interview HERE.
The interviewer was especially interested in knowing whether or not I felt safe on the trail. She asked me, "Will you be coming back?" I replied, "For us, to desert the places of vulnerability does not make the world safer."
Afterwards, I realized that this was a point that is relevant to our class.
It is commonly understood that fear constrains and narrows our cognitive abilities, whereas feelings of safety and trust open our awareness. We need to trust in order to love.
This is as it should be. Loving involves opening oneself, being vulnerable. When we are fearful, our job is to protect.
Let's face it: We need to be safe in order to live on to another day! This isn't really the question.
What Fredrickson is pointing out in her book, Love 2.0, is that, in her words, "Put simply, your body was designed for love, and to benefit from loving. Human bodies become healthier when repeatedly nourished by positivity resonance with others, with the result that human communities become more harmonious and loving. This clear win-win arrangement is written into our DNA." (p. 60)
Fredrickson doesn't suggest that we put ourselves in danger. Rather, she encourages us to become more self-aware of the many daily opportunities we have to enjoy the positivity that is already all around us.
And as we do, we make the world a safer place!
The interviewer was especially interested in knowing whether or not I felt safe on the trail. She asked me, "Will you be coming back?" I replied, "For us, to desert the places of vulnerability does not make the world safer."
Afterwards, I realized that this was a point that is relevant to our class.
It is commonly understood that fear constrains and narrows our cognitive abilities, whereas feelings of safety and trust open our awareness. We need to trust in order to love.
This is as it should be. Loving involves opening oneself, being vulnerable. When we are fearful, our job is to protect.
Let's face it: We need to be safe in order to live on to another day! This isn't really the question.
What Fredrickson is pointing out in her book, Love 2.0, is that, in her words, "Put simply, your body was designed for love, and to benefit from loving. Human bodies become healthier when repeatedly nourished by positivity resonance with others, with the result that human communities become more harmonious and loving. This clear win-win arrangement is written into our DNA." (p. 60)
Fredrickson doesn't suggest that we put ourselves in danger. Rather, she encourages us to become more self-aware of the many daily opportunities we have to enjoy the positivity that is already all around us.
And as we do, we make the world a safer place!
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