I have struggled with shame throughout my life and it is still difficult for me to deal with it.
In my view, shame is like putting up a wall to protect ourselves from pain. The two problems with this are that, first, it blocks out other things such as connecting, trust and love. The second is that putting up a wall creates its own pain because we are ultimately saying that there is something wrong with us and do not want to share it with someone else, even if it is your best friend or brother. Whatever I choose to do or not do, pain will always be there. However, the pain that comes from going for it, being vulnerable and caring deeply about someone is meaningful pain and worth pursuing. One of the biggest challenges with finishing the book is dealing with and accepting my insecurities.
