What is Vulnerability?
Empirically, there simply is no then-and-there. There is only Here-and-Now. This statement stinks of expired cliche, but if the fresh truth of it is actually felt and embodied, it makes a huge practical impact in everyday life. I once heard writer Michael Pollan say something to the effect of, “cliches are profound truths that have been drained of emotion due to overuse.”
Be Here Now, as Ram Dass put it. I can very easily hear these words as cliche, as a nice-sounding but not life-altering platitude. But if I shake off my thinking mind’s familiarity with the conceptual idea of Nowness, and actually realize in a directly felt way (as opposed to intellectually thought about) that there is only Now, then I have no choice but to be Awake in this moment, to be my True Self, to act in the way I most deeply want to act because I know that this is my only chance ever to do so. There will not be a tomorrow, because tomorrow is an illusion. And there is no yesterday to regret. This is my only chance to ever do anything.
So I believe authenticity, whatever that word means to you, is a natural byproduct of the directly felt realization that I am alive Right Now, and that this is the only chance I ever have to be alive, so I better be Authentic. I better be courageous. I better take a risk. I better say that thing or do that thing I’ve been meaning to say or do. I better not give in to distraction. “Practice like your hair is on fire,” as an old Buddhist aphorism goes.
And to be Authentic is to trust whatever is actually Here. I have an entire story of what is then-and-there, all of my opinions and beliefs and concepts that provide structure and give me a sense of control over life, but none of that is actually Here-and-Now. To be Authentic is inherently to be vulnerable. Vulnerability is scary through the lens of my then-and-there, story self, but it is liberating through the lens of Here-and-Now. Vulnerability is the feeling of being Alive. And this reminds me of the Oscar Wilde quote I’ve likely shared here before: “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” To Live Authentically is to embrace vulnerability, or the unknown, to embrace uncertainty about what may happen when I do or say this.
There will never be a time when vulnerability feels under control. To grasp for control is to deny vulnerability, and therefore to deny Life, to turn running water into an ice cube. And if you’d like to spend some time exploring and discussing this topic further with me and my good friend and fellow teacher, Saqib Rizvi, I’d love to have you join us for a 3-hour workshop on 4/9 (details here). We’re calling it Express Your Self Authentically.
So how might you play with feeling vulnerably Alive today?
Maybe one action. Maybe taking a chance to do something you’ve wanted to do but haven’t prioritized. Or taking a chance to reach out to someone. Or it might even be a vulnerable act for you to not do or say something. You can’t control the outcome of these actions, but vulnerable acts will always provide fresh and helpful data, even if that data might not be what you would have wanted.
Join me and Saqib Rizvi
on 4/9 for a live 3hr
virtual experience
of small group
meditation & discussion.
Click here to learn more
***On a final note, I’ve added an option at the end of these blog posts for you to make a small contribution if you’d like. Please only do so if you feel moved to, and know that your donation goes directly toward helping me continue to provide affordable individual guidance as well as create new content, such as this blog, in the name of increased well-being and reduced psychological suffering. One particular project this will help with is the book I’m currently working on. If you’re so inclined, your contribution would support these efforts and would be greatly appreciated (click the button below to donate). Thank you for being here!