I feel like vulnerability is just a fear of your own failure.

It's an uncomfortable emotion, in a world that systematically avoids uncomfortable emotions (brave new world, anyone? soma all around us).

"You can't numb those hard feelings without numbing the other affects, our emotions. You cannot selectively numb. So when we numb those, we numb joy, we numb gratitude, we numb happiness. And then, we are miserable, and we are looking for purpose and meaning, and then we feel vulnerable, so then we have a couple of beers and a banana nut muffin. And it becomes this dangerous cycle."

humans are hard-wired to avoid uncertainty. uncertainty means you might be eaten by a lion on the plains. it's a very uncomfortable emotion.

"we make everything that's uncertain certain."

we perfect. instead of saying "You're imperfect, and you're wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging." so we're a generation grown up thinking we're only worthy if we're perfect. so we're endlessly chasing our own perfection as we spiral into depression and madness.

we try to abstract away everything we don't like. and we end up with nothing. man is a machine designed to resolve conflict. without conflict. there is no human story.

"be able to stop and, instead of catastrophizing what might happen, to say, "I'm just so grateful, because to feel this vulnerable means I'm alive"

this part sounds super hard

"believe that we're enough. Because when we work from a place, I believe, that says, "I'm enough" ... then we stop screaming and start listening, we're kinder and gentler to the people around us, and we're kinder and gentler to ourselves. "