Open for empathy but guarded against BS

Open for empathy but guarded against BS

I like writing. I cannot say that I am the most technically proficient or the most creative writer, but there’s something about writing that clarifies my thoughts, opens my heart, and nourishes my spirit.

My writing journey spanning from high school, college, masters, doctorate, and professional contexts have allowed me to play across the spectrum of technical and creative writing (if it is even appropriate to think of it as a spectrum!). In high school I’ve dabbled with journalistic writing — news writing, sports writing, features, and editorials — but it felt restricting. I’ve played with creative essays and stories, but I found it hard to balance restraint and indulgence.

In college, I was forced to embrace technical writing — research, technical reports, formal emails. I didn’t enjoy it at first; but this allowed me to appreciate the importance of “economy” and “efficiency” in writing. If the great artist paints a picture worth a thousand words, a great writer writes a hundred words that are worth a thousand pictures.

Putting my thoughts into words is such a vulnerable activity. It’s much safer to keep my thoughts to myself. But, where’s the meaning in that? And maybe my writing journey somewhat parallels my views on balancing reason (technical writing) and faith (creative writing). I find that whether it too much reason or too much creativity — both extremes can make a person feel insane.

The pursuit of insights and articulating it into words demand courage – a kind of courage that makes us open to empathy yet guarded against BS. It is both a dance and an iterative computation in search of the golden mean.

John 3:7B-15. Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

[DAILY GOSPEL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTION FOR MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION 2023-108: APRIL 18, 2023]