Harsh words

Vulnerability is a difficult term to pin down. Are we vulnerable to disease? Natural disaster? Emotional breakdown? Even with an understanding that we are constantly vulnerable to hardship, we do not consider ourselves to be a vulnerable population. This may be because of our socioeconomic positioning, our support network or simply our own will to persevere. An understanding of what makes us progress beyond hardship and into better situations is central to understanding why some of our population considers the vulnerable “weak” and why others consider them “victims”. In my opinion, I do not see how I would be able to continue to carry on without my social support network and the socioeconomic position I was blessed to have been born into. My will to persevere is a direct result of the constant support I receive on a regular basis. Without it, I would consider myself highly vulnerable to potential adversity. Because of this, I find it difficult to label an entire “vulnerable” population without knowing what experiences they have come from and what situation they are currently in. It is this labeling that limits our ability to see beyond a seemingly lazy population.