la vulnérabilité

(Anna Dello Russo, photo by TommyTon)

la vulnérabilité (Fr.)/ vulnerability (Eng.); noun

• Capable or susceptible to being wounded or hurt

I have been thinking a lot about vulnerability and its benefits. This subject comes up for me about 8 out of 10 times when I walk out my door. Especially when I go to the theatre, the small and intimate type of theatre, not the grande sized theatre, where you can actually hide in the crowd. I find myself going to the smaller venues quite a bit as the majority of my Parisian friends are involved in theatre to some extent.

The thing about a smaller sized theatre is that the actors actually involve the audience in their performances. And while this would not normally be an intimidating factor in an English speaking environment, it causes me a great deal of anxiety in a French speaking environment as my French comprehension is quite poor. I find myself praying that they will not call me out. And I even make silent declarations to myself as I sit in the audience avoiding eye contact with the actors, that I will not put myself in this situation ever again. Yet, I know that you must expand yourself outside of your comfort zone if you want to experience life at its fullest, which is why, I suppose, I will go to yet another intimate theatre performance tonight.

It occurred to me that I could transform my anxiety into a sensation that is a tad bit more enjoyable. For example,  focusing my energy on channeling my sense of humor about my lack of comprehension rather than my embarrassment of it. Or, perhaps I could simply embrace my vulnerability, lean into it, and even shine a light on it. 

There is a very wise researcher/story-teller (yes, that is her real-life profession), Brene Brown who claims that people who have the courage to be imperfect and show the world who they are with their whole heart, experience a connection of authenticity that leads to (and enhances) a happy existence.

To have the courage to be imperfect and show the world who they are, letting go of who they think they should be in order to be who they are. And to fully embrace vulnerability and believe that which makes them vulnerable, makes them beautiful. 


If you have 20 minutes, you can check out the full TEDtalk on this subject, which raises the point that when you feel vulnerable means that you are alive: