Worthiness, Vulnerability, Shame, Resilience:

Brene Brown teaches that inherent self-worth allows us to overcome our vulnerabilities

Brene Brown gave a fantastic talk, in which she explains that the woes of our current political, religious, and civil cultures are a reflection of the inherent insecurities of the generation of adults in power. The intolerance, fear, and divisiveness we see are not a reflection of anything intrinsic to human nature - in fact the opposite is true! When we have secure childhoods, in which we grow up believing that we are inherently loved and worthy of love, exactly as we are and for who we truly are, then we grow into adults capable of compassion, responsibility, clear-headedness. It is the absence of this security that creates the ignorant, mean-spirited and intolerant dynamics that are so destructive to our common good.

I believe this should be a rallying call to all people working for the betterment of society: note that the "bad guys", those politicians and lobby groups that are fighting to hurt others, are actually people with psychological injuries. They are not evil, but hurt. They do not require vanquishing, but to be contained (prevented from harming others) and to be treated with respect and compassion - until they heal from their wounds and can join the rest of us in a respectful, compassionate society.