In Celebration of Naivete

Navigating collaborations in life...must always prove daunting at times.

There is a sense of helplessness when you share an effort with other people, a loss of control and predictability that you submit in the interest of being greater than the sum of parts.

It is surprising the effort it takes to be open-hearted when you feel wounded, or the effort it takes to attempt the greater good above and beyond one's selfish interests. It is surprising how far astray you can realize you've gone when all along you thought you were following a clear path.

None of us wants to fail.

Right now, I especially don't want to fail myself, or my friend, or what we're attempting to create together. Sometimes all the honest and well-intentioned words at one's disposal aren't enough to communicate the heart's desire, or it feels that way when reactions run counter to that desire.

I suppose this is why the bulk of daily conversation is small talk. It is perhaps driven by fear of being misunderstood. It is painful to pour a lot of thought and feeling into expressing yourself, only to come up empty-handed, only to alienate the person you are trying to engage.