In the 12th grade, I had taken a philosophy class. A class I did awful in but still learned a lot from. One of the first lessons from that class, was about the “truth” – the universal truth that ties everyone together. In reality, to our knowledge there is no truth. Sure, the Golden Rule of treating everyone as you would be treated is fairly common among many of the world’s big religions but it does not really unify all people. There are still people who take advantage of others or those who only look out for their own self interest, which is not entirely a bad thing. Ever since then, I have been trying my best to figure out what universal truth there may be in our world. What holds everyone together, and the one thing that I can say that everybody can relate to is vulnerability.
Of course vulnerability is not by any stretch, something that is new – but it is something that we may not really think about as something that all people relate to. Vulnerability is not being weak, though it can be, vulnerability is also a show of strength. When someone is vulnerable they are either at their best or at their worst, regardless though, they are in a position where they cannot defend themselves. From vulnerability, you get love, you get hate, you get fear, you get joy, and everybody can relate. Everybody understands that chance at feeling this way, and everybody (even if they are not aware) realize when that feeling is coming. For instance, as a graduating student, I get asked a lot: “Are you going to miss all your friends when you graduate?” when I get asked this question, I feel the wave of vulnerability surge right through me. I will be speaking as honestly as I possibly can when I get this feeling and I cannot help it. I feel this way when I get my heartbroken, when I am feeling happy, and when I feel insecure.
And in a way, if you are able to find a way to connect with someone with your vulnerability, while getting them in that state as well, you will probably do really well in maintaining your relationships, working in a social environment, and making your life more interesting. Don’t treat your relationships as throwaways, don’t treat them as casual even if they are, see if you can push the envelope and see how you can make these interactions count. I believe that a shared moment of vulnerability, is a moment in
which you and and another reveal your heart. The impression and essence of that moment, is what you really feel when you reminisce.
