Today I started reading a book that that I will not be able to officially publish the book review for a while, but I wished to still talk about some thoughts I have had about the book, if only because they relate to subjects of great personal importance to me. My favorite animals follow a consistent pattern; they are smallish animals that are either herbivorous or omniverous and also possess fierce defensive mechanisms in order to defend themselves, be they claws, quills, or spray (or more than one of these). Likewise, I also tend to appreciate plants that have some means of self-defense. It is not only for reasons of being a romantic sort of fellow that I appreciate the thorny rose, for example.

However, the book I have been reading (whose title I will not mention because its subject matter would be deeply obvious, and it is not my intention to be too obvious in this post) spends a couple of chapters giving lessons on the artichoke, talking about its thorn, its leaves, and its vulnerable heart that one has to get to after going through a lot of layers. I am not a person who tends to let people in, and my store of trust when it comes to relationships has not been been very great, nor has it been greatly restored by those whom I have sought relationships with, as a general rule, over the course of my life. It is a fact little appreciated that fierce defenses and gentle and tender hearts need not be contradictory, in fact, in my life I know that my rather prickly nature is present precisely because I have a rather gentle and tender heart, and because I have lived in a world that has not been very kind. This does not mean that my occasional harshness has been entirely right or entirely appropriate, but all the same it is not without reason. I suspect the same is true for many others as well.

One of the main reasons why we are called to be a part of institutions larger than ourselves is because we all have weaknesses and blind spots, and because we all need the protection and encouragement that comes from belonging to larger groups. People who are outsiders are rather easy to take advantage of, because they have no protection from others. Those who recognize the isolated state of others can have one of two responses: either they can be motivated to protect and encourage those who are scattered, or they can be motivated to exploit the weak and gratify their own selfish lusts on the most vulnerable. Those who are sensitive to their own experiences and situations and those of others can either have the instincts of a shepherd, protective and caring, or the instincts of a wolf, predatory and exploitative. That choice is ours, and we are responsible for our own behaviors, whether our instincts are guided by the light in order to protect and encourage or are guided by the darkness in order to gratify evil desires. A vulnerabilitiy and a need does not justify exploitation, but it does tend to make victims feel complicit in their victimization, which only makes matters worse.

In this world, a great many people have artichoke hearts, prickly thorns and exteriors designed to protect vulnerabilities. Rather than seeking to disparage those defenses, especially since they are often well-honed after much painful experience in dealing with a wicked and brutal and harsh world (lessons learned early and often, starting from the family and then continuing outward), we ought to do what we can to cultivate genuine trust so that other people need not be on their guard from us. Such relationships take time and effort, but they are worthwhile when dealing with decent people. Only then may we find that we are safe to show our hearts, with their scars and all, in places and situations that are safe for all people involved.