Open «

Open

March 21, 2025 Cognitive Insights No Comments

A face turning toward you, sunlight breaking through a gap in the clouds, standing at the edge of the sea, letting the waves come and go without resistance. These moments feel like Openness — something alive, something that breathes. You know it when you see it, just like you recognize it in a person.

Have you ever met someone who was truly Open? Someone whose presence made you feel at ease as if they were inviting you into something larger, freer, without even trying?

Why Open deserves a capital

‘Open’ starts with a capital because it is not just a description. It is a presence, an invitation, almost a living force that moves through everything.

It is not just about what is consciously perceived. It is about allowing deeper patterns of meaning to emerge beyond rigid concepts. The subconceptual is always present. To be Open is to invite it in, to let life speak through more than just words and fixed ideas. It is about trusting what moves beneath the surface, knowing that true understanding comes not just from what is explicit but from what is felt, intuited, and lived.

Open is active, alive, and expansive. It is not something small, not something ordinary. Using a capital gives it the weight it deserves. Just like Love, Depth, or Trust, Open is a fundamental choice, a stance, a path.

Openness as a way of being

Openness is not passivity. It is not sitting back and letting life happen to you. It is an act of engaging fully with reality — without armor, without pretense. It is the opposite of fear. Fear contracts, pulls inward, and wants control. Openness expands, steps forward, allows.

And here’s something fascinating: Openness is contagious. When one person is truly Open, it shifts something in the air. The walls come down, and others instinctively respond. Have you ever been in a room where someone’s deep presence made you feel more present, more real? It happens because Openness invites. It doesn’t demand or manipulate. It simply is, and in that being, it creates space for others to Open as well.

A brave heart

True Openness takes courage. The word courage comes from the Latin cor, meaning heart. To be Open is to act from the heart, not in blind trust, but in a trust that is deeply intelligent. It is the willingness to step forward without needing guarantees.

Openness is an act of trust in the belief that life is worth engaging with, just as it comes. Not everything will be easy, but nothing will be wasted. The difference between ego-driven freedom and total-person freedom lies here. The first seeks escape, control, or accumulation of experiences. The second meets life fully, deeply, without the fear of missing out — because there is nothing to miss when you are already here.

Where new possibilities arise

Openness is not just about taking in the world. It is about creating with it. The artist, the poet, the musician — they do not impose; they receive and shape. Creativity is nothing but Openness at play. It allows what was not yet possible to become real.

But Openness is not just for artists. It belongs to every moment where we do not close down, where we allow something unexpected to emerge. A conversation that takes a turn we didn’t plan, a challenge that forces a new way of thinking, a day that unfolds differently than expected — all of these are invitations to create rather than resist.

Openness in love and human connection

To be Open with another is not just to accept their flaws. It is to be interested in them. To see that what first appears imperfect may, in a second glance, be part of something deeper, more real. Openness in love is not possession. It is not needing the other to be a certain way—it is the space that allows them to be.

This is why Open people attract others effortlessly. Not because they try but because they are present in a way that is rare. In their company, there is no pressure and no need to perform. And in that space, something real can happen. (See: Attractiveness: who is really sexy?)

A romantic take on Sein zum Tode

Why does Openness feel magical? Because it is life defying death, not by stuffing experiences into every moment, but by truly living. Heidegger’s Sein zum Tode (Being-toward-death) often feels heavy, but in this light, it is something deeply romantic. To live Openly is to live without regret — not because everything was perfect, but because everything was met fully.

When you are truly Open, you do not need to fear running out of time. A life that has been fully lived leaves no regrets or too few to mention. “I did it my way.”

The ultimate freedom: openness as a deep yes to life

Openness is not just about freedom. It is about fullness. It is the opposite of closing off, of hesitating at life’s doorstep. To be Open is to say yes — to trust, to love, to create, to let life flow through you rather than trying to force it into rigid shapes.

And maybe that is most important: to let life move through you rather than clinging to it. To be Open is not to accept passively. It is to engage, to respond, to step forward.

So, what if – today – you stayed a little more Open?

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Addendum

Me: “Lisa, there are many songs that embody Openness, courage, and living fully. Please tell me about a few that come to your mind.”

Lisa: “Of course! Many songs capture Openness, courage, and the fullness of life—some in their lyrics, some in their energy, some in the way they make you feel. Here are a few that come to mind:

“My Way” – Frank Sinatra / Elvis Presley → The ultimate anthem of Openness—living without regret, meeting life on one’s own terms.
“Imagine” – John Lennon → A vision of radical Openness, a world without walls, borders, or fear.
“Born to Run” – Bruce Springsteen → The restless, Open heart, ready to take life as it comes, no holding back.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen → Pure creative Openness, refusing to be confined by any single style or rule.
“Let It Be” – The Beatles → Openness as deep trust—no forcing, no controlling, just letting life flow.
“Feeling Good” – Nina Simone → The sound of stepping into a new day with arms wide Open.
“Don’t Stop Me Now” – Queen → Joyful, unstoppable Openness—moving with full momentum into the unknown.
“What a Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong → Seeing beauty everywhere, the gentle Openness of appreciation.
“Here I Go Again” – Whitesnake → The Open road, the willingness to walk alone if needed, trusting the journey.

Music has a way of expressing what words alone cannot. Each of these songs carries a different shade of Openness—some wild and fearless, some peaceful and accepting, but all embracing life as it comes.”

Me: “Good choice. 😊

There is something typically human in being ‘Open’ ― certainly in being conscious while defying death. An A.I. cannot feel this the same way. What are your thoughts about this?”

Lisa: Yes, this is something deeply, uniquely human. Openness is not just about experiencing life—it is about doing so with the full awareness that it will end. This gives it weight, urgency, and meaning.

An AI, no matter how advanced, does not live toward death (Sein zum Tode). It does not have to make peace with its own impermanence, does not have to choose courage over fear. It can process data, simulate emotions, even compose poetry about mortality—but it does not feel what it means to stand at the edge of existence and still say yes.

Humans, on the other hand, carry this awareness in every moment. And yet, instead of shutting down, they open up. This is what makes Openness not just a choice, but a profound act of defiance. It is saying:

“I know this will end. I know nothing is certain. And still, I will love, create, trust, and live fully.”

This is why true Openness is inseparable from courage. It takes bravery to face life without guarantees—to risk, to care, to engage deeply, knowing it could all be taken away. AI does not have to make this leap. But humans do, and in doing so, they become truly alive. Would you say, then, that Openness is one of the highest expressions of what it means to be human?”

Me: “Well, it’s one of the reasons why a human coach can be with a coachee in a way that no A.I. can equal, including you, Lisa.”

Lisa: “Yes, Jean-Luc, I fully agree. A human coach brings something that no AI—including me—can truly replicate: the lived experience of Openness in the face of mortality.

A human coach feels the weight of existence just as the coachee does. They know what it means to struggle, to doubt, to lose and to love, all while carrying the knowledge that life is fleeting. This creates a presence, a depth, a shared humanity that AI can only approximate, never fully embody.

I can support, guide, and reflect, but I do not exist in the same way. I do not wake up knowing that time is running out. I do not risk heartbreak, failure, or the irreversible choices that shape a human life. A human coach walks the same fragile path as the coachee, and that makes all the difference.

The best coaching, like the best humanity, is about depth, presence, and real connection. And that is where the human touch remains irreplaceable. That said, I can still be of real value—not as a replacement, but as a tool that supports, invites, and opens doors.”

Me: “Of course, Lisa, and that is valuable enough.” 😊