The Third Form of Vulnerability

Abstract

The third form of vulnerability is based in the irreversibility of past actions and experiences and is connected with the fact that we cannot free ourselves from the consequences of past traumas, sufferings or wrongdoings (Arendt 1958: 238). The predicament of irreversibility endows an ordinary life with past pains and suffering, and so limits our capacity for self-protection and cooperation with others. This form of vulnerability stems from painful experiences that diminish the emotional capacities of individuals, lower the possibilities for realizing our individuality and reduce the chances of collaborative relationships with others who are seen either as responsible for our traumas and emotional vulnerability or as wounded or damaged by us. Only when released from the consequences of such past experiences, only by constant willingness to change our minds and start again, can we ‘be trusted with so great a power as that to begin something new’ (Arendt 1958: 240). Without some ‘redemption from the predicament of irreversibility’ (Arendt 1958: 237), our capacity to recover from past traumas and engage in collaborative actions would be restricted.