Theodore Roosevelt was right. "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where those who have done his deeds could have done them better. The credit," said Roosevelt, "belongs to the man who he's really in the right situation." arena." This man has the values ​​of courage, tenacity and... vulnerability. This man, even through occasional defeats, succeeds because he faces his fears, because he is not afraid to be vulnerable. Unfortunately, many of us – men and women – have not yet entered the arena. Why? Why do we make ourselves wait until we believe we are "perfect", fully ready. Too often, this wasted time squanders potential experiences and relationships Houston defines vulnerability as uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure, Dr. Brown argues in her NYTIMES bestseller, “We equate vulnerability with weakness and poison. While vulnerability is actually the birthplace of joy, love and empathy." To live a full and "sincere" life, we must gain a better understanding of the true nature of vulnerability. Millions of children have been introduced to vulnerability by author JD Salinger. Salinger was vulnerable to rejection, to criticism, to failure. His novel, I'm sure you know, “The Catcher in the Rye” was rejected 15 times Childish Maybe you remember the last lines of the book: “Don't ever say anything to anyone. You'll start to miss everyone. Sure, Holden Caulfield had a tough attitude, but the character Salinger created is endearing and enduring too today, largely because of its vulnerability. So if we want joy, love and empathy in our lives, we must let vulnerability enter our hearts. I was fumbling for words to convey the lesson. But instead of reacting negatively, I was pleased to see that Anabella, Francisco, and Santos – and all my other students understood. They saw that I was doing my best and that for any positive change to occur, we all needed to put ourselves at risk in the arena. After all, Francisco is a grandfather and was not ashamed to come to me for help at sixteen. Francisco is proud to now be able to order a coffee, converse more with his employer, talk to his grandchildren. It was humbling to see how division by age, language and lifestyle did not hinder the creation of a sense of community and family. And we shared Roosevelt's truth, a truth we can all share. “It's not the critic that counts. The credit goes to those who enter the arena." Please, ladies and gentlemen, come in with me now.