The Opposite of Vulnerable

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I’ve been thinking a lot about vulnerability—the vulnerability of individuals, of organizations, of communities, of societies.  No surprise, I guess, given the current state of the economy.

And then this morning, two staff of The Nonprofit Center walked into the office to find that we had been burglarized during the night.  Tangible losses:  two laptops and a safe containing $120.  That could easily have been a lot worse.  Intangible loss:  immeasurable. Our feeling of physical safety has been compromised, and our vulnerability revealed.  Whereas in the past, members of our mostly female staff have felt comfortable being the lone staffer early in the morning or late in the evening, not so anymore.  Whereas before, the first person to arrive at the office would walk in confident and unafraid, not so anymore.  And it will take some time for each of us to regain that former state of equilibrium. 

Vulnerable, vincible, assailable.  These are not words that most of us would choose to describe ourselves or our position in life.  And yet truth be told, we would be fools to consider ourselves anything less.  Life’s small events—being burglarized—and life’s big events—the current economic situation—demonstrate this on a regular basis.  We should not get too cocky, see ourselves as too entitled, believe that we are beyond or above the fray.  We are not. 

But all is not lost.  Resilience, not invulnerability, is truly the opposite of vulnerability.  Humans are, for the most part, very, very resilient.  And this is where nonprofits come in.   For they, in so many ways, help all of us deal with the reality and perception of our own vulnerability.   They heal us—our bodies, our minds, our bad habits, our souls.  They allow our communities —the humans, the infrastructures, the environment, the relationships—to grapple, struggle and, eventually, flourish.  When vulnerability looms large, nonprofits are there to give us back our hope.

We need nonprofits now, more than ever.