Vulnerability

I was thinking about how, when we do assert our own voice, and when we follow our own sense of purpose, it creates a place of vulnerability. Personally I was thinking about this when I recently directed someone to this blog. It's challenge enough to put this out there for whoever finds it, but it's more difficult to show it to someone I already know. Facing that challenge is part of why I try to write a blog everyday instead of just writing in a journal everyday.

The vulnerability that we risk, however, is balanced by reward: when we put ourselves forward, the chances of our gaining something improves. If we take the initiative and risk the vulnerability, we have the greatest chance of creating those things we're hoping for. And if we don't take the initiative, we still are not proof from danger. If we put forward our work and it is ridiculed, is that really worse than being ignored or ridiculed for producing no work?

The Bhagavad Gita says "If thou wilt not fight thy battle of life because in selfishness thou art afraid of the battle, thy resolution is in vain: nature will compel thee" (chapter 18, Trans. Mascaro). I read this as saying that it is useless to hold back out of fear of taking some risk, because the same or similar troubles will come to us anyway.

At least when we stick our neck out, we know where our vulnerability lies. If we sit paralyzed in fear of action, then fate can attack from any direction.