Reflections: Acknowledging Vulnerability

“There is a pattern that often moves quietly through my life:

If you ignore me, I will ignore you.

If you reject me, I will reject you.

If you do not love me, I will not love you.

Who needs you anyway?”

What is this state?

The stronger we try to be,

the deeper our hidden vulnerability.

We fear that if we admit our fragility,

we might shatter,

might dissolve.

Yet the truth is the opposite.

The very moment we dare to acknowledge our vulnerability,

something profound shifts.

Our strength is no longer a rigid armor

held together by the mind.

It becomes a living strength —

quiet, grounded, unafraid.

To accept vulnerability

is to step into real courage.

It is a strength without defense,

a fearlessness without hardness.

When vulnerability is rejected,

it grows more fragile.

Pain thickens.

And because we cannot welcome this tender part,

it finds other ways to surface —

in relationships,

in work,

through life itself.

“I must be strong.”

“I must endure.”

“I must push through.”

And so the cycle begins.

From this refusal, suffering is created,

again and again,

until it seems unstoppable.

But the moment vulnerability is allowed,

the cycle loosens.

By Suzhen Liu

If you enjoy Suzhen Liu’s writings, please check out her new book, “Discover Love Within—Release Your Suffering” available on Amazon.

Reflections