Being Seen
Being seen,
truly seen,
is a risk.
If you are not comfortable with the fluidity of your own
opinions
thoughts
perspectives
If you are not open to the truth you may be wrong
or that wrong is a messy
slippery
concept
If you cannot see that what you believe to be right
may just be your
opinion
experience
understanding
perspective
You will lose connection every time.
Connection requires
curiosity
humility
openness
It requires you to manage your own
mind
emotions
and orient yourself around another's perspective.
If you stubbornly grip what you
know to be true
with white knuckles
clenched teeth
walled heart
tightly closed eyes
you will miss the pain in the other's eyes
as they realize they are not safe with you.
It takes courage
fortitude
love
commitment to being a safe place
to ask questions
dig deeper
ask for more
lean into the fear
the uncertainty
the confusion
the longing
and be known.
Perhaps we fear seeing others clearly
because that means they may see us
and we haven't learned yet how to be
naked and unashamed.
About the author
I'm Morgan Motsinger. I hold a BS in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience from Portland State University, and I host P.S. We Expire, a podcast about grief, death, and what it takes to live well anyway. I also spent fourteen years caring for my daughter Anni, who died in 2022 (MPSIIIa). I write about grief from both sides of that — what the research says, and what it's actually like inside. Nothing here is medical advice, and I'm not a clinician. It's the explanation I wish someone had handed me.