I'd be lying if I said I knew how to be vulnerable. Unfortunately, I've been betrayed a couple of times before, and as a countermeasure, I have built walls. A hard shell, if you will. I hardly let anyone in anymore. I fear revealing my struggles and how I feel because I've done it before, and it's been used against me. It takes a great deal of effort for me to let my guard down and express my feelings. The fact that society has this notion about men being stoic and immovable hasn't helped my case. So, what do I do? I keep it inside, bottled up, for fear of being ostracized by my fellow brethren. I've been in situations where what I disclosed to confidants in private has been disclosed to others. Do you have any idea what that does to a person or how embarrassing it is? All that trust and respect went on a whim, just because someone wanted to be the center of attention. Loose lips sink ships. The good news is that I'm learning to observe people's mannerisms so that I can learn their character before opening up. Talk about being accountable. I guess we've all got to trust somebody at some point, right?

— Pent Up Thoughts  ·  On Vulnerability & Trust