If you find the title of today’s post a wee bit confusing, I doubt you’re alone in thinking that. Vulnerability and beauty, as two separate entities, are not exactly paired together too often, nor are they typically affiliated with one another – beauty is something with positive social connotations associated with it, whereas vulnerability is something with negative social connotations associated with it, generally speaking.
Life is full of paradoxes and contradictions, however, so I guess we should try not to be so surprised whenever we encounter one.
The idea of being vulnerable is quite terrifying. In essence, being vulnerable is allowing ourselves to be human; to feel, to let others in, and to expose our weaknesses and fears in their rawest forms. Most of the time, though, despite being human, we don’t wish to experience unpleasant emotions, so we refrain from succumbing to vulnerability, especially in a situation that is unfamiliar or strange.
Sometimes, though, being afraid and being vulnerable simultaneously can prove to be absolutely beautiful.
When we let our guard down, we permit others to see ourselves for what and who we really are. We tend to be vulnerable with those we love most, and it is the people that love us most that do so because of who we are.
We can also be vulnerable to new and unfamiliar things, though. Sometimes, it is taking this risk that enables us to recognize opportunities and experiences that would not have transpired had we not let others in and showed weakness.
Vulnerability is almost inevitable in life, and while it can be avoided, I encourage you not to distance yourself from it. Running from it is almost like running from ourselves, and it almost seems unfair to deny ourselves from being real and raw.
There really is beauty in vulnerability if you look for it.
Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash
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