tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post2139664713054677144..comments2023-12-30T17:31:11.883+00:00Comments on The Solitary Walker: The Power Of VulnerabilityThe Solitary Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11284354541952038339noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-48746299268291346862014-12-08T08:48:31.068+00:002014-12-08T08:48:31.068+00:00Nick, Jan, Catharus and Laughing Water – thank you...Nick, Jan, Catharus and Laughing Water – thank you all for your comments (C and LW for your generosity too). <br /><br />Nick – I think owning up to who you are, as you put it, and then living that, inevitably involves both courage and vulnerability - wouldn't you say?<br /><br />Jan, I think part of being authentic, and vulnerable, means allowing oneself to be less than perfect and seeing that it doesn't help to judge oneself. Doesn't authenticity mean being able to be who one is, rather than who one thinks one should be, or even more tyrannically trying to be who others think one should be? While discrimination is useful, judging self and others is another trap for the ego! I like what Buddhist teacher D T Suzuki reputedly said: 'You're perfect as you are - and there's always room for improvement'.<br /><br />rosellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00971482422276765335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-74697675375680818462014-12-05T19:00:14.778+00:002014-12-05T19:00:14.778+00:00Deeply moved by this heart mindful artical. A prac...Deeply moved by this heart mindful artical. A practice to stay soft yet strong and clear.<br /><br />Grateful,<br />Laughing WaterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-75919860824858118172014-11-25T12:36:58.656+00:002014-11-25T12:36:58.656+00:00'Much appreciated post!!!'Much appreciated post!!!catharushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05603292208345268247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-87066558477877189012014-11-24T11:02:12.058+00:002014-11-24T11:02:12.058+00:00Thank you for posting this Robert. I have little t...Thank you for posting this Robert. I have little time to comment today and will need to revisit this when I have more time. As always, I wonder how to get rid of the tendency to judge myself and others. Striving to be this authentic, open and vulnerable self, inevitably it seems leads to comparison. Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16987111031726857718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-37785906539867183252014-11-20T19:13:51.220+00:002014-11-20T19:13:51.220+00:00Surely this isn't vulnerability; it's mere...Surely this isn't vulnerability; it's merely owning up to what you are.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16112462990202280587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-3357439511870144632014-11-20T08:13:43.914+00:002014-11-20T08:13:43.914+00:00Amanda, thank you - to be mentioned in the same br...Amanda, thank you - to be mentioned in the same breath as Pema Chödron - now there's a compliment. Pleased that you related to it.rosellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00971482422276765335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-24805586232746362052014-11-19T14:59:59.095+00:002014-11-19T14:59:59.095+00:00This is exquisite. I am just now reading Pema Chod...This is exquisite. I am just now reading Pema Chodron's Start Where You Are, and it's heartening to realize how much Roselle's words vibrate with the same wisdom of this book. Amanda Summerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00942636545948440422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-71527539842687236292014-11-19T13:44:28.031+00:002014-11-19T13:44:28.031+00:00Ruth, thank you for your vulnerability and wisdom ...Ruth, thank you for your vulnerability and wisdom in your comment.rosellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00971482422276765335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-85329460141916919902014-11-19T13:43:36.756+00:002014-11-19T13:43:36.756+00:00Robert, thank you for posting my blogpost.
And al...Robert, thank you for posting my blogpost.<br /><br />And all those who have commented: thank you, too. I'm touched. <br /><br />Sackerson: it's aspirational. I'm learning not to set myself up to fail, or to tyrannise myself with 'shoulds': simply to remind myself that my intention is to keep opening myself up. Often I don't achieve it - and that's fine. It's just something I try to hold in my attention; aided by 40 years' Zen practice.<br /><br />And yes - we're all prone to delusion and delusion about our delusions! So it's not that I believe we can realistically outstrip our masks and realise egolessness - just, once again, something to remind myself to 'rest' in, as a useful intention/aspiration, frequently, on the journey. Would you agree?<br /><br />All best to you all<br /><br />Roselle<br /><br />rosellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00971482422276765335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-76266174943806138942014-11-19T10:09:53.931+00:002014-11-19T10:09:53.931+00:00You need to be living from your own centre out . ....<i>You need to be living from your own centre out . . . </i><br /><br />Yes to all of this. <br /><br />So much depends on how we were raised, and it can be difficult to shed the protection and projection of perfection. One of the most important lessons we can teach our children is how to fail. And while we teach them that (by simply failing), we hopefully teach them how to be there for someone who fails.<br /><br />I find that some of my worst characteristics, those that I would prefer not letting anyone else know about me (outside my inner circle of family, who know by living with me), are symptomatic of protecting my ego. For instance, being passive aggressive about no one else doing the dishes, rather than simply asking someone to do them. <br /><br />All of this only matters in real time, real experience. I am interested in Roselle's experiences at work with male colleagues, and how that played out. What a treasure to have that sort of connection with work mates.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14204074161539605133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-59956028935731963012014-11-18T22:29:37.467+00:002014-11-18T22:29:37.467+00:00A few rambling first thoughts on this interesting ...A few rambling first thoughts on this interesting post...<br /><br />I found myself wondering, how does one know when one isn't "wearing a mask", as the writer puts it?<br /><br />Impulses arise subconsciously. People who are defensive (ie, deny their vulnerability) tend to deny that they are and have even less awareness of how they became so. How do I know I'm not?<br /><br />However hard we try to know ourselves I think we inevitably tend to find ourselves in certain states of mind rather than navigating our way to them. Can we ever know ourselves well enough to know that the mask is truly off?<br /><br />In other words, if I <i>think</i> I "have moved beyond the need to make ego and pride the be-all and end-all" I probably haven't!<br /><br />When someone tells me I "need to have grown beyond navigating [my] life according to others' approval" I find myself wondering how many (if any) people have actually achieved this, and how they might know that they have. Of course, I should be aware of the risks of navigating my life that way but to suggest that <br />I can "grow" into a state of knowing that I don't can become a form of tyranny. In effect, it's saying that I can grow into a state where I'll never be an idiot again. I know this not to be true. I'm human.<br /><br />Having said all that, I like the WS Merwin quote on her website: "I don’t think we have an imagination apart from the environment". If this is true (and I think it is), what else is there to be but vulnerable? <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-76766636776326753742014-11-18T19:31:34.284+00:002014-11-18T19:31:34.284+00:00Wish I had more time for commenting. There is so m...Wish I had more time for commenting. There is so much I would love to say in response to this wonderful post. amhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09212213177713917828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8319797996494487653.post-38959343968336289832014-11-18T18:47:03.338+00:002014-11-18T18:47:03.338+00:00Many people never ever reach this goal in their li...Many people never ever reach this goal in their lives - many don't even wish to go there.The Weaver of Grasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13947971556343746883noreply@blogger.com