Laundry List Item 16: Everyone is, in their own way, vulnerable

I am in the middle of watching the third season of House of Cards. One thing that Frank Underwood does so well is turning to his benefit whatever situation he finds himself in. He does not get stuck in the past for more than a moment before coming up with a plan of how this situation can work for him.

One thing that he also does so well is to exploit the vulnerability of others when working out how to make that situation work for him. He has a memory, an instinct, and a well populated file on all those who he could one day use in this way.

And through the show we also get glimpses of the vulnerability of this man who shows so little vulnerability to others. 

Vulnerability has been getting a good name lately. It is a way for us to show to others what is really going on, and to enable connection at a deeper level. All of us have this vulnerability. At the very least we have bodies that fail us. And more than that, we have emotions that bubble up all the time, informing us of what a particular situation is creating inside us.

We have a choice when confronted with our own vulnerability, or that of others, to use it as a way to connect, or as a way to distance.