Just Because You Are Vulnerable Doesn’t Mean You Are Weak

A friend once asked me if being vulnerable makes you a lesser version of yourself. And I answered, it could and it could not. I believe vulnerability affects you in the way you let it affect you. It’s just a matter of perception.

In this world, everything has its own upside and downside. I think the downside of vulnerability is that people might take advantage of you. Because they know it’s hard for you to say “no” especially to the people that matter to you. You’re always open to anything even if you feel like you’re already being put into disadvantaged. You welcome people into your life thinking they’d bring you a ray of sunshine. You trust people so easily even though they don’t even deserve it. And that’s how you get hurt, that’s when you feel you are the loser.

On a brighter note, vulnerability also has its upside. It also means you make people feel that it’s okay to know you, trust you and love you. You share your interests, your dreams and your doubts without the fear of being misjudged. You open yourself up to other people because you simply want to express. You simply want to be heard. And perhaps, you want to feel appreciated. You also give people the opportunity to hurt you. And that’s not a bad thing at all. Because being hurt makes you stronger and gives you enough reason to love yourself even more; it makes you realize what you truly deserve; it lets you grow as a person.

Oftentimes we build our defenses in order to protect ourselves from the harsh reality. But we should also refrain from euthanizing pain. We should realize that we, humans, cannot filter our eyes to the things we do not want to see. We cannot un-hear the things we do not want to listen to. We cannot un-love the people who hurt us. We have to remember that the essence of being human is not just about being in love but simply being able to feel.