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From Rae Duke, Religion and Ethics teacher and broadcaster.

10-months ago I had a baby girl. For several generations now, there’s been loads written about the parenting ‘journey’, so I felt suitably well armoured to navigate the realms of feeding patterns, sleep routines and those developmental milestones. But what hit me soon after my daughter’s birth was the new sense of connectedness I felt to others - often strangers. For the first time in my life I was feeling truly vulnerable.Ìý Now that word – vulnerable – is riddled with negative connotations, but hear me out as to why I believe there’s positivity to be found in our vulnerability.

Last summer, armed with a brand-new baby, I arrived at a Tube station with an overloaded buggy and suddenly realised that there wasn’t a lift and my heart sank at the thought of having to do battle with several flights of stairs. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to manage without enlisting the help of some kind stranger. For the first time in my life it wasn’t possible for me to get from A to B independently. And that felt uncomfortable.

On that day, and on every other day since, I’m pleased to report that an unknown passer-by has helped me get that buggy up those stairs; the chink in my armour leads time and time again to an exposé of the better, kinder side of humanity.

Londoners aren’t known for being a friendly bunch on public transport but I’ll let you in on a secret. There’s a place where this individualist fog is lifted and the unwritten rules on avoiding eye contact are broken. A place where those with buggies, wheelchairs or just unwieldy luggage congregate: the lifts. Chat flows freely, laughter echoes and help is willingly offered and accepted amongst this bonded bunch. What do they have in common? A level of vulnerability.

Yes, being impressive fleetingly boosts the ego but the very essence of human connection is vulnerability and our connectedness is life’s essence.

An American pastor named Craig Groeschel put this perfectly: ‘We may impress people with our strengths, but we connect with people through our weaknesses.’

So each week when I pop in to Pause for Thought and push the button for the 6th floor studios of Wogan House, I’ll also be checking out the lift love available here at Radio 2. Don’t let me down!Ìý

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