For the #UULent reflection list, look here.
If I make myself vulnerable, I could get hurt. People could laugh at me. I might fall in love and get my heart broken. People will think I'm stupid. I could make a fool of myself.
We fear being vulnerable. The fear likely comes from our most primal selves, where vulnerability meant a life prematurely ended by animal attack or fights with other tribes. Our bodies have evolved to make fear an experience we run away from, ensuring our survival. The experience of this fear makes our shoulders shrink into ourselves, makes our skin crawl, our stomach hollow, our heart pound. Most of us want to avoid that feeling, or at least control the feeling by riding on a roller coaster where we know the risks are limited by the design of the ride.
Focusing on our fear of hurt -- and vulnerability to hurt -- paints all the potential hurts with a big red brush. Being laughed at is equated to death. Worse, the focus isolates us from the risks we need to take to grow and evolve and flourish.
If I make myself vulnerable, I could get hurt. People could laugh at me. I might fall in love and get my heart broken. People will think I'm stupid. I could make a fool of myself. But if I don't, I will be lonely. I will not experience love. I will not grow. I will not strive for new goals. I will not embrace my humanity. I will not truly live.
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If you want to learn more about the importance of being vulnerable in one's life, look for Brene Brown's material on vulnerability. Here is a good start.
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