I think we
need to talk about the difference between vulnerability and weakness, because
too often you meet people who conflate the two. They think that vulnerability
is weakness by definition. If you look up the definition of the two, you'll
find that vulnerable means susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm
and it comes from the Latin word vulnerā(re) which means to wound. Weakness is
the state or condition of lacking strength. This is very interesting because to
be vulnerable is essentially to admit that you can be wounded and an
acknowledgement of that to move forward anyway.
It takes courage to be vulnerable
If you think about it most of us are afraid of being vulnerable because we are afraid we'll be perceived as weak, but by definition it takes courage to be vulnerable, to admit that you can be wounded, to get in the boxing ring and know that you might get hit. And the irony is that the weakest people in the world are the ones that can't be vulnerable. They are the ones that never put themselves up for playing, they never put themselves up for hurt.
What is real strength?
Those of you who avoid relationships right now or avoid approaching that guy or woman because you are afraid that you'll be vulnerable know that that's not strength. Strength isn't standing in the corner putting up these walls around yourself and stopping yourself from actually getting hurt in the first place. That's not strength. That's a fake kind of strength. But it's just this vulnerā and as soon as it comes down what you have is a really weak person who lacks courage.
Being vulnerable means you are living
Some people are so terrified of their own vulnerability that they never actually put themselves in the game. You don't want to be one of those people because those people end up dead inside, because they never actually end up living. Just because you exist it doesn't mean that you are living. Living is when you're actually putting yourself out there, throwing some punches and acknowledging that you might get hit in the process.
What if you get wounded?
Have the trust in yourself and your strength to know that you can heal from that, that you can get over it. However badly you are wounded you can pick up and get going again.
Don't be so
afraid to be wounded that you actually hide away in the corner and never put
yourself up for it. If you want to get vulnerable, go out there and take some
risks. Be prepared to be vulnerable, be prepared to stand up and stand up alone
if you have to.
