After viewing the video of Professor Brene Brown's presentation on "The Power of Vulnerability," ...

Brene
Browns presentation on The Power of Vulnerability is a reiteration of earlier theories of
human association that emphasize the importance of openness to the formation of strong personal
relationships.  Brown stresses the importance of human connections to our own physical and
mental well-being, and the importance of allowing ones vulnerabilities to be visible as the key
element in developing those connections.  No man, she is arguing, is an island unto himself.  We
all need human contact, and the quality of that contact can be as high as we need it to be only
when we are willing to expose our most personal sense of inadequacy €“ in short, to be open
about that which we feel embarrassed or ashamed, whether it is a visible physical
characteristic, or a deeply-hidden feeling of shame regarding a hidden physical or emotional
characteristic or about past actions or thoughts that, exposed to the light of day, might
diminish our stature in the eyes of others.  Again, Brown is not breaking new ground when she
suggests that personal relationships born of hidden feelings of jealously, embarrassment, or
resentment would provide a very fragile foundation upon which to build human connections.  
While her underlying thesis is hardly novel €“ books like Brad Blantons Radical
Honesty have tread the same territory €“ the impact of her presentation does not
suffer from its lack of originality.  Only through openness and honesty can meaningful
relationships be constructed and sustained.

How one answers questions
regarding lessons learned from Dr. Browns presentation is dependent upon the individual
student.  Everybodys experiences are different, and everybodys upbringing is unique to each
individual.  Obviously, answering these questions requires the very willingness to expose ones
vulnerabilities that are at the core of the presentation.  Unless one has led the perfect
existence €“ and such perfection in the realm of human development is nonexistent €“ then each
student should be capable of relating personally to the points Dr. Brown makes, particularly
with regard to feelings of inadequacy or shame the concealment of which has influenced
relationships.  Feelings of intellectual inferiority or physical inadequacy can influence an
individuals entire life, from personal and professional ambitions unrecognized to relationships
undermined by the emotional burden of concealing feelings.  The sense of ones value as a human
being directly impacts the course ones life takes.  

The real world, of
course, does not always allow for the prescriptions for happiness set forth in the
presentation.  It is unrealistic to assume that one can walk into a job interview, especially in
management, and expect success through a complete purging of ones soul.  Similarly, many
professions, law and medicine to name two, do not allow for the kind of intimacy among
colleagues that The Power of Vulnerability suggests.  Displays of weakness are not
considered an attribute in much of the professional world.  Ones high school football coach
probably doesnt want to hear about a prospective players emotional wounds; he is more likely to
remain focused solely on the students ability to read a zone blitz.  That is the unfortunate
reality in which most of us live.  Such experiences, though, are not the stuff from which the
relationships that will last well-beyond the high school years are
forged.