Fearless vulnerability is true strength

Vulnerability is unifying. It's a fact of life we all experience daily, not a sign that something's gone wrong.

Society often runs counter to this truth, over-idealizing qualities demonstrative of a simplified notion of "strength."

This leads to a synthetic form of confidence that's extremely thin and brittle, its main function being to mask the profound insecurity of one who has not made peace with the inherent limits of beinghood.

It takes courage to consciously de-escalate this conditioning and turn towards, rather than run from, vulnerability.

Once we do though, it actually sets us free. It dissolves the terror bred by denial and lack of resolution. We integrate the lessons of vulnerability into our life and move on, equipped with greater acceptance, understanding, resilience, stability.

Being knowingly, comfortably vulnerable is true strength. You drop the need to hide it because you understand it's universal and that it brings us closer together. Compassion and love replace resistance and fear.

This new perch creates the potential for another, somewhat paradoxical, discovery: that, ultimately, we're not vulnerable at all.

Only that which is limited can be vulnerable. Our bodies are limited, yes. Our minds, limited. In metabolizing these truths, we gain the clarity to recognize that we contain a body and a mind, but are not defined by either.