searching for security
Does security equal a better life? It's one question that feminist writer Eve Ensler talks about in her piece The Real Meaning of Security. Best known for her play, Vagina Monologues, she writes simply and sensitively about large issues. I love her choice of words, but I love the obvious compassion that permeates it.
I came across this piece while once again listening to TED talks and I found a transcribed copy online. Here, she talks about the nature of security and how perhaps all our efforts at being secure only lead to us being more afraid. The concept applies most especially today - when the word "terrorist" seems to crop up every so often. Yet, what made this piece compelling is how she related the ramifications of "security" to our way of living.
Below are some of my favorite excerpts. They in no way do justice to the whole piece - the way it was paced, written, even spoken. For the full impact, read the piece or listen to the talk. Her voice adds flavor and naturally entrances listeners.
"...security is essentially elusive, impossible. We all die. We all get sick. We all get old. People leave us. People surprise us. People change us. Nothing is secure. And this is the good news. But only if you are not seeking security as the point of your life."
"Real security is the ability to tolerate mystery, complexity, ambiguity-indeed hungering for these things. "
"Freedom is about being vulnerable to one another, realizing that our ability to connect is more important than feeling secure, in control and alone. "
Photo credit: Guardian UK