"Vulnerable" Is Closer To Our Human Nature Than "Perfect"

I believe there is value in embracing our emotional vulnerability. Becoming familiar with this part of ourselves, examining it, understanding it, can help us feel more at ease in the face of adversity.

We may have the tendency to avoid our vulnerable self; we can dismiss it, want it to go away. But if we take the time to look at it with clear eyes, we can discover much more about ourselves.

What is the purpose of the vulnerable self?

Through vulnerability, we can open ourselves to love.

Does it allow us to reach out to others? There is a tendency to associate the word ‘vulnerability’ with something negative, with a wound, with weakness; Maybe because we feel unsafe when being vulnerable. What could happen though if we were to feel safer in our vulnerability and what would that look like? Can it make us stronger? There seems to be a paradox in this. I can only feel truly safe and in control when I accept my vulnerability. How does this work? As long as I recoil from my vulnerability, this implies there is still some fear in me that I cannot handle change, that I will not be able to survive a difficult situation. If I am to feel in control and strong enough in myself, that requires I get acquainted with all parts of me; the child self, the adult self, the fearful one, the strong one, the shy one, the selfish one, the happy and sad one... All of these aspects play a part, have a place in my mind and allow me to experience life to its fullest.

Why then should I be denying the bits I don’t like?

Why don’t I like them in the first place?

I think it is a combination of instinctive aversion to pain as a self-preservation mechanism and pressures from society to present only as the beautiful, the strong, the exciting, the perfect. There doesn’t seem to be any space in today’s world for the vulnerable, but the "vulnerable" is closer to our human nature than the “perfect”.

I believe that the more we run away from our emotional vulnerability and hide from our authentic self, the more cruelty we will experience; Because then our actions will be dictated by fear and aversion, rather than acceptance and love.