Meme: Valuable Vulnerability

Commander Zander

There's an idea i've encountered in a couple essays and posts (not on LW) that being emotionally vulnerable is, counterintuitively, a desirable trait. I think this is usually defined as being in a state where what you observe is liable to create negative emotions in you (or in some definitions, a variety of emotions). I've heard several people recommend this meme but i'm still trying to wrap my head around it. Personally i usually aim for more manageable emotional states, and i rarely cultivate this kind of state. On the other hand, its popularity suggests, in my opinion, that it has at least some usefulness.

What do LWers think about this concept? What do you think is the main rationale for this idea, and do you think it is a good policy?

What makes you think that certain religious people don't have negative emotions?

I am speaking in approximate terms, just as OrphanWilde was. That does not mean never ever having a single negative emotion, just as I presume that he was not speaking of never having any emotions of any kind.

There is plenty of devotional literature which promotes refusing negative emotions and keeping the positive ones. And while I'm sure that it does not work for some people (as in OrphanWilde's experience), it does work for others. One reason I know it works for some people is that it did work for me for many years, when I was still religious.

5

Meme: Valuable Vulnerability

5

5

5

Meme: Valuable Vulnerability

5

5