Pathwalking 125
Showing vulnerability is not weakness.
Everybody is vulnerable. It does not matter who you are, what you have gone through in this life, what experiences you have had. Everybody has vulnerabilities.
This is simply a part of human nature. We all have something that makes us vulnerable, and it is something different for each and every one of us.
What does vulnerable mean, anyhow? Dictionary.com defines it as such:
adjective
1.capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt, as by a weapon: a vulnerable part of the body.
2.open to moral attack, criticism, temptation, etc.: an argument vulnerable to refutation; He is
vulnerable to bribery.
3. (of a place) open to assault; difficult to defend: a vulnerable bridge.
Capable of being attacked morally, susceptible to being wounded or hurt. That is what the idea of vulnerability breaks down to, and it is that which we spend a great deal of time resisting.
The thing is, there is no one who is without that vulnerability. Everyone can be morally attacked and criticized, everyone can be susceptible to being wounded or hurt by words, actions and inactions in many ways worse than any weapon might be able to. There is no one above this, no one who is bulletproof from showing they are vulnerable.
Because this is something faced by everyone, it is not a weakness. Weakness is avoiding vulnerability, weakness is ignoring that you have these holes in your armor, and it is weakness to be incapable of being accountable for your vulnerability.
Pathwalking can be liberating, it can be empowering. However, it can also open a number of wounds, and it can expose your vulnerabilities. I choose my own path, I take control of my life and walk my own way. In so doing, I expose myself to ridicule, criticism, and open myself to being hurt by others.
I know this. I am aware of this. I accept that this is so. Because I make myself accountable for my own vulnerabilities, then I am also responsible for how I let them be exploited. When they are exposed, and when they are attacked it is on me how I react to that.
If I allow my vulnerability to hamper me when there is criticism, if I am unaware of the possibility of this, that is where weakness lies. When I can deal with the attack, when I can accept the criticism and continue onwards my vulnerability in fact opens up my strength.
We are taught that we need to be strong. We are taught that we need to hide our vulnerabilities, and we need to show our perseverance, and our strength. But since everyone everywhere is vulnerable in some form or other, what sense does denying it make?
We are not capable of being whole until we can see all sides of ourselves. That means the good, the bad, the ugly, the incredible, the unique and more. We need to be able to be comfortable with all aspects of ourselves, and that means our imperfections and vulnerabilities.
Showing that you are vulnerable does not make you weak. It makes you, in many ways, stronger. It exposes you in your most exploitable way, but then allows you to show that you are able to handle the worst that can be done to you. It shows that you can deal with these exposed parts of your psyche.
Vulnerability is only a weakness if you let it be. You know it is there, you know that it exists, and you become increasingly aware of what it takes to exploit it. When that happens, how you cope with the situation and how you react is where you choose to let it be a strength or a weakness.
If you work to overcome your vulnerability, if you fight back or let it go and move on quickly, you actually are showing you are strong. If, however, you wallow in it, let it define you, let yourself be overwhelmed in negativity and self-doubt, then it exposes your weakness. But the vulnerability itself is not weakness.
We humans are an interesting paradox. We are the most perfect imperfect beings there are. We love to feel good, but persist in doing things that make us feel bad. We see the vulnerabilities in others and fear those we see in ourselves. We are quick to see the strengths of our companions but the weaknesses in ourselves.
Pathwalking is choice. Life is choice. You have vulnerabilities. I have vulnerabilities. Everyone has them. As such, everyone can choose how to cope with them, and can choose whether to let them show your strength, or show your weakness.
Where are you vulnerable, and how do you handle it?
This is the one-hundred twenty fifth entry in my series. These weekly posts are specifically about walking along the path of life, and my desire to make a difference in this world along the way. Feel free to re-blog. Thank you for joining me.
The first year of Pathwalking is available in print and for your Kindle.
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