Vulnerabilities: An Important Measure of Courage and Intercultural Resilience

  

Vulnerabilities: An Important Measure of Courage and Intercultural Resilience

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

Introduction

Being emotionally exposed and unknown to some extent is what it means to be vulnerable. Brotherton and Cronin (2013) define vulnerability as a weakness or deficit that shows human limitations from both an accomplishment viewpoint as well as a moral and ethical position. Brené Brown (2010) suggests that vulnerability is an important measure of courage and that it allows people to be seen and understood by the people who are important in their lives. It also serves as an important way to foster authenticity, belongingness, and love among those who feel that they are vulnerable because it has several emotional benefits. This paper discusses what gets in the way of people’s vulnerabilities and how being vulnerable can increase intercultural resilience.

What Gets in the Way of People’s Vulnerabilities?

According to Brown (2010), humans face various challenges in the sociocultural setting that ultimately make it difficult to be vulnerable to them. With the fear of getting disconnected, people often hide their true selves because they think that they are not smart enough, beautiful enough, and confident enough without thinking that they should think about a chance to defend it back to avoid shame, trauma, fear of rejection, cultural or familial expectations, etc. (Willow Counseling, 2021) due to the fear of being judged. With such a psychological defense mechanism wired into the brain, the vulnerability would be underpinned in them and it would make them lose trust in other people easily. Fritscher (2021) stated that people often fear vulnerability due to some difficult emotions such as disappointment, shame, fear, and grief (Fritscher, 2021). Over time, we have developed fear through our life experiences as we were taught that vulnerability is dangerous or wrong and we always failed to embrace it.

Brown does concede that any individual can feel worthy if they have the bravery, compassion, connection, and vulnerability to do so. Aster (2021), on the other hand, clarifies these difficulties by stating that vulnerability is a medium of willingness in which we can show up or share ourselves, knowing that we have no control over the results of our interactions. This is because vulnerability removes defensiveness and fosters empathy and creativity in all of us. Brown clarifies further by saying that one can gauge their bravery by how exposed they are willing to be to others (Palouse Mindfulness, 2019). Vulnerability should be viewed as more than just a condition to be endured; it should also be acknowledged, cherished, and embraced (Kelcthermans, 2005). People simply attempt to equate vulnerability with personal weakness and frequently push others away out of apprehension of disapproval or mockery. It should be understood that one thing that keeps us out of connection is our fear that we are not worthy of connection.

How Being Vulnerable Can Increase Intercultural Resilience

Living in a diverse society with unpredictable turns is always a challenge for any individual. People often become vulnerable to different situations and challenges, but when it comes to the advantages of being vulnerable, a person’s ability to understand intercultural resilience can increase. Intercultural resilience is people's ability to bounce back from cultural changes and continue coping with the challenges through personal development. In other words, resilience involves going through a process of change and development, solving problems as they arise, and giving pressure and obstacles a positive purpose (Simonsen, 2008).

By being vulnerable, people can cope well with stress, shame, adversity, or any challenges they encounter in their social setting by coping with cultural changes or uncertainty confidently to recover from all the challenges. According to Jensen (2019), vulnerability is our most accurate way to measure courage and assess fearlessness because it enables anyone to measure their braveness based on their willingness to be vulnerable. Such people can remain focused on their strengths rather than their weaknesses in search of personal growth despite the risk factors (Simonsen, 2008). They can recover very quickly from difficulties with the mindful usage of cross-cultural communication or action because, quite often in the diverse workplace, communication issues can add complexity (CHRYSOS HR Solutions Limited, n.d.). In such cases, the vulnerable person tries to be non-judgmental by setting aside any personal shame and perspective-taking by looking at any kind of situation while being in another’s shoes (Aster, 2021). Love, a sense of belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity are all born out of vulnerability. Even attending a new event could be unsettling because we are giving ourselves the chance to meet new people with diverse cultures and develop positive new habits.

Conclusion

Safe teaching and learning environments are necessary in schools with a higher regard for coping with vulnerabilities. Teachers should use intellectual competence to handle such issues in the classroom with the inculcation of curiosity, compassion, empathy, etc. in the school for continuous learning. Vulnerability in the classroom should be welcomed at all times with a positive mindset to embrace resilience so that both teachers and students improve their self-efficacy by confronting their hard times so that intercultural understanding is met. Moreover, the cultural discrepancies that exist should be an opportunity for an individual’s personal growth (UNESCO, 2012).

 

References

Aster, H. (2021). Brené Brown: The Power of Vulnerability TED Talk. https://www.shortform.com/blog/the-power-of-vulnerability-ted-talk/#:~:text=In% 20Bren%C3%A9%20Brown's%20The%20Power, teaches%20how%20to%20live%20 wholeheartedly.

Brotherton, G., & Cronin, M. (Eds.). (2013). Working with vulnerable children, young people and families. https://proxy.lirn.net/UnivOfThePeople?groupID=2&qurl=https% 3A%2F%2Febookcentral.proquest.com%2Flib%2Funiv-people-ebooks%2Fdetail. action%3FdocID%3D1323288

Brown, B. (2010, December 23). The power of vulnerability. TED Talks.https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability

CHRYSOS HR Solutions Limited. (n.d.). Top Ten Tips for... Effective Cross-Cultural Communication. https://www.chrysos.org.uk/blog/top-ten-tips-for-effective-cross-cultural-communi

Fritscher, L. (2021). Recovering From the Fear of Vulnerability. https://www.verywellmind.com/fear-of-vulnerability-2671820

Jensen, E. (2019). Brené Brown's 'The Call to Courage'. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2019/04/19/brene-brown-call-courage-netflix-vulnerability/3497969002/

Kelchtermans, G. (2005). Teachers’ emotions in educational reforms: Self-understanding, vulnerable commitment and micropolitical literacy. https://www.academia.edu/ 16840606/Teachers_emotions_in_educational_reforms_Self_understanding_vulnerable_commitment_and_micropolitical_literacy

Palouse Mindfulness. (2019). The Call to Courage - Brené Brown Compilation. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDIQQx1KNZc

Simonsen, S. H. (2008). Turning Strain into Strength: Developing Intercultural Resilience in times of Cultural Adversity. https://www.stockholmresilience.org/download/ 18.1b27248111ee6cfde1e800033464/1459560320048/MIC3_Projet%20personal.pdf

UNESCO. (2012). Education for sustainable development: Sourcebook. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=400&nr=926&menu=1515

Willow Counseling. (2021). What Makes Us So Afraid of Being Vulnerable? https://willowcounseling.org/therapy-basics/what-makes-us-so-afraid-of-being-vulnerable/