In social work, we say frequently that we are working with vulnerable populations due to the variety of risk factors encountered by the people we are honored to serve. We label these people as vulnerable because of a multitude of hardships, such as poverty, racism, discrimination, trauma, illness, etc. However, I believe that we are wrong in labeling these clients, or any person encountering adversity as vulnerable. In fact, these people are often the least vulnerable, as life has forced them to harden and create impermeable shells in order to hide their precious pearls that reside within. Thus, people who either encounter harsh circumstances daily or those that have been severely hurt by life are insusceptible and closed, not vulnerable.
So what does this mean for social work practice? What does this mean for people in general interacting with people labeled as ‘vulnerable’? It means that we need to rethink how we approach these people. It requires us to recognize their strength and their ability to meet adversity with armor. We must acknowledge that these people have built layers upon layers of stone walls fortified by cement. These walls are thick, complex, and hard to break down. If we think of them as vulnerable then we fail to recognize the true essence of their nature, which hinders our ability to help shatter their fortifications. Instead, we must work diligently to help those that have suffered to soften, let go, and embrace life. To do this we must acknowledge the walls people have created because of hurt. We must also realize that these people are not vulnerable, but hardened and in need of assistance abandoning their shells. We do this by first acknowledging and working to remedy our own parts in the construction of these walls, whether they be on an individual or macro level. We then stop replicating past hurts by treating others with dignity and respect. On a macro level, we stop creating and implementing socially unjust legislature that disadvantages hurt people. We must also ensure that we do no more damage to ‘vulnerable’ people. We cannot cause them any further harm, while also diligently working to alleviate whatever suffering they feel. We do this by creating safe spaces, and trustful relationships to show that pearls should not be hidden. That pearls, in fact, beautify the world. We help pry apart their shells by making them feel comfortable with the uncomfortable associated with their hurt through support. We help them face that pain and own that pain. We then allow them to grieve and let go. We show them that not every aspect of life hurts and that it’s okay to allow in some sunshine. We give people sledge hammers to break their own walls. We give them the knives to cleave open their shells and unleash the pearls. Admittedly, I am one of those hardened people who carefully hides and protects her pearl. Vulnerable, I am not, and I take great aims to fortify my walls. Recently I realized this form of interaction with life is unhealthy. I realized I must stop suppressing the hurt, unleash it, feel it, mourn it, and let it go. Recently I decided to open my shell. This current life transformation inspired the writing of this blog. In saying this, helpers can only do so much to dismantle the armor unsusceptible people wear daily. Those invulnerable people must also makes efforts to break down their own walls and grab onto what is beautiful. Today my favorite and also ironic yoga posture helped me navigate through some of this transformation today. I have always loved the pose known as balancing half moon. I am not sure why I love this posture so much, it might be its name and my fascination with the moon or maybe there’s a deeper reason that resonates within. During this posture, I am fully vulnerable- only one leg stands firmly on the ground as my fingertips slightly graze a block or just hang in the air. The other side of me is fully open, stretching, expanding, and inviting in life. This includes my heart. If I do not ground myself or practice full awareness of my body, including the physical emotions that arise, I would fall out of this pose instantly. For some reason, I am always almost always able to sustain this vulnerable and open position in a joyous way. Hardened and closed me, is fully exposed and I feel embraced by the world. While practicing today, I realized that like the moon our life is cyclical. We have phases of opening and closing. Some of us are better at being full moons, and others, like myself, tend towards the slimmest of crescent moons. However, like the moon, we must open and close. Both are necessary to live life fully. I decided today to manifest my favorite posture as a daily intention to be more open and vulnerable. Almost everyday I wear a crescent moon charm, which was first given to me by my Zio Antonio when I was 15 and then also replaced by him with a better one. I will use my necklace as a reminder to embrace all phases of me, including my crescent side. However, the daily goal will be to move towards opening into a half and then a full moon so that I can share more of my light with the rest of the world. This movement towards brightness will also allow me to receive and be replenished by the light that others share. To sum up, I reiterate that we stop viewing people as ‘vulnerable’, which hinders our ability to help them. Instead we recognize that these people are pearls protected by almost impermeable shells created by the harshness of life. We own and remedy our part in the creation of these fortifications. We work diligently to do no more harm. We advocate for social justice, while thoughtfully approaching these people living in the midst of suffering. We sit with them, give them a hand, and help them lead their healing. We give them tools to tear down their walls. Those of us hardened by life, we have work to do too. We must honor the hurt, grieve it, and then let it go. We must allow life to heal us, because like us, life is also a precious pearl. We must open again to a life that has hurt us. We cannot enjoy the pearl of life with a closed shell.
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