The act of being vulnerable is a daunting one. It is one that invites waves of fear, a sense of out-of-placeness and magnifies the possibility of it being weaponized. Practicing vulnerability is often viewed as a form of weakness or failure for it speaks of the unspoken.
In addition, in a plural society such as our own, where race groups tend to compete on almost every level and where the practice of religion remains relatively crucial in family settings, being open could feel as if one is letting one’s guard down and leaving room for criticism toward the group one belongs to or identifies with. Thus naturally hesitance has been embedded in all of us to different degrees.
It is no wonder therefore that most of us practice vulnerability within tight circles and hold those with whom we share with dear to us. On the flip side this sometimes even limits us in the ways in which we interrogate things.
