Vulnerability and Fear

[Dandelion]

Even if one's goal may be to believe in a safe universe and to trust oneself, one still has to deal with any feelings of vulnerability and fear that arise, rather than suppress them.  So I though this part of Session 8/18/1970 in The Early Class Sessions, Bk 2, talking about vulnerability first, then saying something about how children usually handle fear might be helpful.  For context, in the first part about vulnerability, Seth is actually responding to one of the class member's worries about probable selves they might be creating.

"All existence is vulnerable for vulnerability is the framework and the sensitivity that makes existence possible.  All That Is is vulnerable to All That Is and the possibilities and probabilities of creation that dwell deeply within it.  To close anyone off, any channel off, is to deny creativity and existence.  The deep mystery of consciousness has to do with vulnerability.  If the leaf were not vulnerable to the sun, it would not bloom.  If it were not vulnerable to the winter and cold temperature, it would not die, and if it did not die, it could not, again, come back into the earth as a new blossom.  It could not change its form.  Therefore, each of you be free within yourselves and be without fear. 

You want to create a perfect thing.  If you want to create another personality then you think in terms of a perfect personality and the perfect personality does not exist, for perfection in your terms means death.  When you think in terms of perfection, you think in terms of purposes already achieved, none coming after; but existence makes its own new purposes that arise of the joy and exaltation, as well as pain and challenge.  Therefore you have given birth in more terms than one.  You see, because of the creative nature of your personalities, even when you thrust a pain apart from yourselves and give it as a heritage to a fragment personality, you give it, also, your creative power and your hopes.  You cannot help but do it and so you do not set these personalities adrift without hopes, without potential.

Sue:  What does somebody in my (infant) son's situation do with fears?

Their fears, believe it or not, are handled much more effectively than your own.

Sue:  He never seems to have any physical symptoms.

He is doing very well, but in the case of children, in most but not all, they are able to handle their fears.  In a strange manner they are not afraid of their fears.  They accept their fears as they accept a chair, or a rock, or a face and they deal with them.  But they are not afraid of their fears in the same manner that you are.  Remember, consciousness has its own protection, its own vitality, and trust in the vitality of your own consciousness and of your own way and that is the answer.  For you have a vitality within you and you have only to call upon it and it comes to your aid.  This applies to each of you.  It is only when you fear you do not have this vitality that it betrays you, and then it does not betray you, but you betray it.  You have all the energy, all the ability, all the power and all the strength you will need within you to face each and every situation and be the selves you want to be.  You have only to know and understand this and you can bring up from yourselves energy such as you never dreamed."

[Deb]

Very nice quote, it puts vulnerability into perspective and even into a new light. We tend to define the word or the state as something negative, of being weak, helpless or easily harmed. But the way Seth explains it, it seems to mean more being open to things or open minded.

"in the case of children, in most but not all, they are able to handle their fears.  In a strange manner they are not afraid of their fears.  They accept their fears as they accept a chair, or a rock, or a face and they deal with them.  But they are not afraid of their fears in the same manner that you are."

Personally I think kids don't 'know enough' yet, haven't had enough bad experiences or don't foresee problems the way adults do. There's a feeling of freedom in that. I know adults who have a lot of fears and that often frustrates me because I see their fears (or 'issues' as they call them) as stifling/limiting their lives. They are not living life as fully as they could be. Actually, I bet their parents taught them some of those fears when they were growing up.

On my wild trip this summer I decided to try fearlessness on to see how it fit. I have to say I never felt so alive in my life.

BTW are you familiar with Brené Brown? She talks about vulnerability.

[sethspeaks]

We have a double-edged sword. If we will see enemies in strangers, then it will be so. If we will see allies in strangers, then it will be so. We're creating our reality.

[Batfan007]

Very nice quote, it puts vulnerability into perspective and even into a new light. We tend to define the word or the state as something negative, of being weak, helpless or easily harmed. But the way Seth explains it, it seems to mean more being open to things or open minded.

"in the case of children, in most but not all, they are able to handle their fears.  In a strange manner they are not afraid of their fears.  They accept their fears as they accept a chair, or a rock, or a face and they deal with them.  But they are not afraid of their fears in the same manner that you are."

Personally I think kids don't 'know enough' yet, haven't had enough bad experiences or don't foresee problems the way adults do. There's a feeling of freedom in that. I know adults who have a lot of fears and that often frustrates me because I see their fears (or 'issues' as they call them) as stifling/limiting their lives. They are not living life as fully as they could be. Actually, I bet their parents taught them some of those fears when they were growing up.

On my wild trip this summer I decided to try fearlessness on to see how it fit. I have to say I never felt so alive in my life.

BTW are you familiar with Brené Brown? She talks about vulnerability.

Read one of her (Brene Brown) books last year and listened to several hours of talks from Youtube and Podcasts (as guest), brilliant lady and very enjoyable read/listen.
Also liked some of her quotes so much chucked them in some Batman articles

Well, actually I wrote this whole article immediately after listening to a one hour talk from Brene, so she actually inspired me to write this post

The Art of Batmanliness – Being Brave means Being Vulnerable
https://numberonebatfan.wordpress.com/2015/09/10/the-art-of-batmanliness-being-brave-means-being-vulnerable/
The title of that article came directly from Brene's talk.

Wrote a follow up piece later that year also on similar themes:

https://numberonebatfan.wordpress.com/2015/11/24/batman-tough-and-humble/
Batman: Tough and Humble

I usually link to my Seth blog on here and not the Batman one, but these are topics that are interest me greatly and talked about in those articles for anyone interested.


When I get back to my Seth blog (been many months, but lots of drafts and topics on the backburner) will follow up with some articles on anger, aggression and classical male value "strength" and both the strengths and limitations of the narrowly defined gender roles and societal expectations (beliefs) ingrained in us within a Seth context.

Everything I write about overlaps really, same basic values, expressed in different paradigms for different readers etc.
It's the art of taking inner values, ideas and impressions and putting them into a familiar camouflage pattern that appeals in a unique way to the reader.

[Deb]

I love Brené. I actually got to see her live last year at the Mile Hi church that always has such great speakers (but I'm not a member). In a few weeks I get to see don Miguel Ruiz there (The Four Agreements). I suppose I should read that again before I go. But anyway...

But being brave also means being vulnerable. It takes courage to be open to other people about who you are and what you stand for in life. Those who constantly lie to themselves and others, who are afraid of expressing themselves become cowards. Human beings male or female can only take so much of living in shadow, of failing to be who we are and live the life we know we ought to.

Eventually something breaks, it may be our mind, it may be our body. It may be our will power, our ethics or values. We compromise a little here and there, we give in to the demands of others. We keep doing that and eventually we wake up one day and don't know who we are anymore.

That reminds me of something I put up about Anita Moorjani a little earlier. It's going to be one of those tuned-in types of days for me, I think.

Great blog post, great quote. Related to your "Barman is a Jerk" one, lol. I wonder how stereotypes get started, with women being held to impossible standards (i.e. past discussions here on Barbie) and how "real" men are supposed to be (cool, sexy, dangerous, tough, emotionless). Many women are attracted to that and then a few years down the road tire of living with men with whom they can't emotionally connect. Yes, it's TV. Movies. Brainwashing by advertising. Just look at Rick and Darryl on TWD. Tough as nails; survivors; admirable. Carol? My idol. So I know where it's coming from, I just don't know why.

Maybe it's just part of the game.

[Batfan007]

I love Brené. I actually got to see her live last year at the Mile Hi church that always has such great speakers (but I'm not a member). In a few weeks I get to see don Miguel Ruiz there (The Four Agreements). I suppose I should read that again before I go. But anyway...

But being brave also means being vulnerable. It takes courage to be open to other people about who you are and what you stand for in life. Those who constantly lie to themselves and others, who are afraid of expressing themselves become cowards. Human beings male or female can only take so much of living in shadow, of failing to be who we are and live the life we know we ought to.

Eventually something breaks, it may be our mind, it may be our body. It may be our will power, our ethics or values. We compromise a little here and there, we give in to the demands of others. We keep doing that and eventually we wake up one day and don't know who we are anymore.

That reminds me of something I put up about Anita Moorjani a little earlier. It's going to be one of those tuned-in types of days for me, I think.

Great blog post, great quote. Related to your "Barman is a Jerk" one, lol. I wonder how stereotypes get started, with women being held to impossible standards (i.e. past discussions here on Barbie) and how "real" men are supposed to be (cool, sexy, dangerous, tough, emotionless). Many women are attracted to that and then a few years down the road tire of living with men with whom they can't emotionally connect. Yes, it's TV. Movies. Brainwashing by advertising. Just look at Rick and Darryl on TWD. Tough as nails; survivors; admirable. Carol? My idol. So I know where it's coming from, I just don't know why.

Maybe it's just part of the game.

Well, Hollywood ain't all bullshit. Women do find the tough outsider loner badboy stereotype attractive, but then what is also desirable is the responsibility and emotionally centred and good communicator husband/boyfriend etc.

Getting away from the stereotype, it's that  a man with confidence, who takes action is appealing, no matter what they are doing, whether it's looking after their kids or Denzel flying a plane upside down in that movie where he flies a commercial plane upside down.

The Badboy element, or the "Batman" element is that danger and unpredictability which is again appealing, but if people don't mature, then they are no good in relationships etc. But really, any person, of both sexes can develop confidence, the ability to take action, AND be a rule breaker, non-conformist, not for the sake of it, but because to it's unethical to simply follow along with social conditioning. [edit later...off to work]