The Formula: Faith + Vulnerability Equals…
I took a deeper look at Brené Brown’s work. Here’s what I found.
A while back, I stumbled across a TED Talk led by a research professor named Brené Brown. The title of the talk was called “The price of invulnerability.” Intrigued by this, I clicked on the YouTube video and begin listening to this fifteen minute captivating message.
Throughout the TED Talk Brené journeyed us through her findings as a researcher; providing us details of how society has lost it’s tolerance to vulnerability. How culture has not nurtured or elevated humility and how when we experience lack or scarcity we numb our vulnerability of it to the bend of culture. This loss of societal tolerance to vulnerability has led to extremism for which she has outlined a formulaic equation.
She says faith minus vulnerability equals extremism.
In other words, what you believe in comes with a level of uncertainty (that’s why it’s called faith) so when you subtract any level of vulnerability from your beliefs or execution of your faith more often then not the equation will equal extremism. This extremism can be displayed in thought, action or word.
We see this evident over the history of humanity. Where a certain person or group of people who ascribed to a certain belief executed some extremely heinous act in the name of their belief.
Some people’s actions though have not always made it into the traditional history books but those they encountered could almost certainly provide a record account of their extremist actions.
In today’s society, people voluntarily immortalize their extremism in the history books through what we call “the comment section” of social media. Believing their views are right, they don’t think twice about the price of invulnerability as they condemn others who are at the surface level- in opposition.
Every human being ascribes to a certain set of views either spiritually or culturally. When these views remain unchecked by any sense of humility and/or vulnerability the resulting expressions will almost invariably be forms of extremist behavior.
As echoed by Brené, we have to understand that faith is inherently vulnerable; because the very basis of it is a belief in something/someone we don’t fully understand or sometimes can’t tangibly see.
While we are still working out our faith, understanding the complexities and uncertainties we should recognize the very fragility of it and move and flow with a level of humility.
It would thus behoove us to acknowledge our beliefs and convictions but also to say to ourselves — “this is what I believe but I don’t know it all; and I’m still on the journey figuring it out.”
I believe we can still hold to high levels of convictional faith in the things we believe in with boldness and courage while simultaneously holding an equal level of vulnerability in our convictions.
This balance can lessen the bend towards dogmatism and increase opportunities of growth, revelation and connectivity with ourselves, others and the faith we believe in.
Thus the alternative equation is this: faith plus vulnerability equals extravagant love.
When you add on the authentic layer of vulnerability, transparency and humility to the beliefs that you’ve come to live by you are able to engage yourself, others and the object of your faith with extravagant love.
This love, however, certainly does not mean that your beliefs are unstable and ready to crumble at the slightest wind of oppositional opinion or belief.
Not at all beloved.
What it means is that you are able to share your convictions in a loving tone of voice, a loving openness to hear what others have to say and level of transparency to admit to others that you have not fully “arrived” in your faith quest.
I encourage you today if you are not already engaging at this level of vulnerability in your life, try it out. See what happens to your interactions and relationships with people when you begin exercising your faith with humility.
You’d be surprise how you can tear down the walls of a defense by people and quickly enter into more intimate and impactful engagements.
