Vulnerability, Emotions, Empathy, Perspectives

Emotions can be a tricky thing. You feel like you have control over them but as you grow older with experiences in life, you tend to feel emotions has dominion you, especially with all the chaos in our world.

Being vulnerable is often seen as a double edged sword. If you give too much, people will use your vulnerability as a source of bullying. If you give too little, people will think you're callous and unapproachable. Gender definitely play a role on how a man or a woman is viewed when they share their vulnerabilities.

People have long endured hardships of life through communities, story telling, and being vulnerable toward each other. However, there seems to be a lack of communities of people to share with now days. This may be due to the rise of personal distractions and the desire for instant gratification.

Questions to ponder:

• Do you feel there are inadequate circles of people you can have a heart to heart conversations with?
• What's the hardest thing about sharing vulnerabilities?
• Is vulnerability a strength or a weakness? (How does context and gender role affect this?)
• Is there a double standard on how men and women should vent their emotions in public settings?
• Should men ever be vulnerable in front of women? (Why or why not?)
• Do you feel you have control over your emotions or does feel like the other way around?
• Should we tolerate everyone in the name of empathy?
• Should some people be excluded from societies? (What are the criteria and how should it be measured?)
• Is it hard for you to have empathy toward others? (Why or why not?)
• Why are some people cheerful while others seem so bitter and cynical?
• When was the last time you've received a compliment?
• When was the last time you've received a criticism?
• Is the world positive or negative in your eyes and why?
• How do you combat negative emotions?
• What's your mental framework on how to go through life?
• Have you tried to step into other people's "shoes" and wonder how they're feeling and why they're doing what they're doing?
• If you had to take a blind guess, do you think people care about one and another?
• Do you try your best to be empathetic toward others or do you tend to judge them from the surface? (Examples & Why)
• What role can philosophies play on everyday life?
• What role can the government play in alleviating suffering?
• What role can the individual and communities play in human bonding and story sharing?

Come and join us tonight and discuss on vulnerability, emotions, and perspectives!

Guidelines:

• Hand raises are required. There are no limits on how many times you can raise your hand.
• There will be a 2-3 minute timer for every person depending the size of attendees. However, in this group, I do allow a brief back and fourth interjection from others if it's something that's related to the person who was just speaking. This is a way to prevent the group from feeling too "robotic" in style and get your pressing question asked to the speaker and get the answer right away without waiting all the way back to your turn again.
• Be authentic & civil!
• Please refrain from using Ad Hominem (personal) attacks. This includes in voice, in meeting chat, and in the comments section below. Instead, please attack the points from others. Severe Ad Hominem such as racist behavior will result in being removed from the meeting.
• Zoom link is posted well before the day of the meeting but you will not be able to join until 10 minutes before the meeting start time.