In the face of so many polarizing situations in the world, I've been thinking about what things we all have in common. One thing I'd like to propose that we share is a sense of vulnerability. We are all vulnerable to pain, rejection, the crushing of our dreams, looking foolish, suffering violence, alienation, etc.

Of course, I spend most of my life trying to hide that vulnerability, to appear confident, trying to cover that vulnerability to avoid being taken advantage of, etc. In other words, I try to put an exterior over one of the deepest things we all have in common so that you cannot see it. So, I contribute to the isolation and alienation when I am not honest about this.

Ironic. Maybe part of the reason I often feel lonely is that I'm simply not willing to honestly bear my vulnerability. And maybe the path to peace involves sharing this vulnerability more consciously, entering into this commonality more deeply.

Of course doing so would seem to make me even more vulnerable, and it is hard to choose that as a way of life.