It can seem that the pavement is suddenly dangerous, so full of cracks and bumps.
It can seem that the pace on a familiar staircase is suddenly slower, each riser a greater challenge, each tread shorter.
It can seem that the garden is suddenly huge and unwieldy, when yesterday it was easily managed.
Suddenly we are aware of our vulnerability. This realisation often comes as a surprise, possibly a shock. It is, of course, especially true for we who are fortunate enough to grow old, though it is just as true for those who are younger than we are.
Sharon Salzberg, an honoured Buddhist teacher, reminds us, “Vulnerability in the face of constant change is what we share, whatever our present condition.” This is true for people in all cultures, all ages. Our present condition has evolved over the span of our lives, brought us into the here and now, and will change to a different condition with each new moment. In each of those moments we are vulnerable, just like all living things.
This truth can be expansive, uniting each of us to every other. We are part of the whole, part of the fragile circle of life. Each present moment confirms our unity and our fragility. We are all vulnerable to disease, war, pain, joy, laughter, change.
Change happens with each breath. We are not the same person as the one who breathed the previous breath. Our “present circumstances” have shifted. We are not the same person as we were on our last birthday. And yet, no matter how different we might feel ourselves to be, we are joined together with all other beings in our common vulnerability.
There is no edge to this vulnerability. Except when fear arises. Fear is a natural response to our vulnerability. It can protect us against some dangers, some possible events. It might also isolate and separate us. Fear shuts us down to the reality that we are all in this together, whatever our present condition in the state of constant change.
We are all vulnerable, permeable, malleable, susceptible to change. The great spiritual teachers, along with great poets, tell us that the only constant is love. Vulnerability may harden us into hatred, fearfulness, separation. The challenge of staying open to love, regardless of our present condition, is one that is especially present as we grow older. Wise beings, have gifted us with words to guide us through the challenge of our vulnerability in the company of constant change.
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing. It’s having the courage to show up when you can’t control the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”
Brené Brown