Being Vulnerable
We all have some parts of ourselves that we hide. Parts that are weak, flawed, imperfect and inadequate . We hate them, we hide them, we run away from them, not realizing they play a part in making us who we are.
We fear that if we expose these parts to others, they may not accept us or worse yet, we may be downright rejected. We are afraid to be judged and misunderstood.
So we keep our guards up, appearing tough. Running away from the very thing that makes us human and not rocks walking around. Maybe, we’ve been hurt so many times that we cant risk it anymore. We want to be seen as a strong person all the while believing that hiding our less than perfect sides like an unwanted child, will make us one.
But the true strength lies in Vulnerability. In accepting our weaknesses and embracing our imperfections. It helps us understand that we are not perfect and its completely okay not to be. As it happens, we realize that no one is and we also learn to accept others as they are.
True connections and relationships are strengthened by vulnerability. People who love each other, warts and all, do not have to hide anything. They let their true selves be seen and are liberated.
Vulnerability takes courage. Its only in accepting ourselves as we are , do others accept us too. We then no longer fear to open up ourselves because we are no longer afraid of rejection and judgement.
For a person like myself, who isn’t very expressive when it comes to emotions, its fairly hard to be vulnerable. I don’t want others to see me as a weak person and this costs me dearly sometimes. When i keep hiding pent up emotions under a happy exterior till they burst out in the wrong way or the wrong time. when i’m too afraid to ask for help when i’m in need of it. when i’m not able to talk about what it is that bothers me without breaking down.
We should consciously try to be more vulnerable. By not hiding ourselves behind a perfect exterior. By not deceiving others with our false images. By embracing our own selves as we are and putting ourselves out there where there is equal probability of us getting hurt and getting accepted.
As Murakami writes,
