Being open doesn’t mean vulnerability.
Being open doesn’t mean vulnerability. This adviarter took brown to start to decorate the shell since brown is a strong color. The shell was picked due to the hole in it–symbolizing how being open within a shell requires an ability to appreciate light. The advice is written on both sides of the shell. Turquoise green is used as a secondary favorite color–calming and yet connected to the brown. Being open minded is important in any situation but being open doesn’t mean that you are being vulnerable.
Vulnerable is a strong word to me. Who wants to be vulnerable? It is never the end destination of intent but often ends up happening. Can we be open if we aren’t vulnerable? Do the two ideas go hand in hand? How can we strive to be more open each day? Is it life that makes us feel more vulnerable or are we vulnerable by definition?
xoxo Gypsy Tornado
I had to comment because I just spent 17 hours over this last weekend at a Shambhala Buddhism meditation workshop where one of the main points was to become both open AND vulnerable. That’s OK, because by being vulnerable we connect to the basic goodness that exists in both the positive and negative experiences that make up life. It is the protection we seek (but fail at) against change, against the impermanence of all things that leads to our suffering. So if our basic nature is to be vulnerable to the world of chaos and change, we must embrace it rather than spend our whole lives trying to forestall the inevitable changes (changes in wealth, in jobs, in relationships, in health, in reputation, etc.). Otherwise we’ll always be focused on the past and future, and in building walls, but never mindful of where life occurs–the present. If you want a quick introduction to this concept, the best start is a book called “Turning Your Mind into an Ally”.