I love Buddhism.

I love that the first Noble Truth just normalizes our suffering. We're in this culture where suffering is thought of as a failure. You're supposed to respond when someone asks,

“How are you?”… “I'm good.”

You are supposed to say that because it's expected.

“I'm good. I'm fine. I'm OK.”

When people ask us how we're doing, they don't really want to know. They’re really hoping you say, “I'm fine.” Right?

They don't want to hear, “Well, I'm really quite afraid in the moment.”

Or, “I'm really freaked out about what's happening on this planet.”

Or, “I'm really lonely.”

Try this, when somebody asks you how you are, say, “terribly lonely, thank you for asking. How are you?”

The first Noble Truth is, “yeah I'm suffering sometimes.”

And if I am honest about it, then I'm healthy.

I’m not just stuffing it all of the time and pretending I’m not suffering.

Honesty and vulnerability are what we're trying to build, what I believe the Dharma is trying to build again. Part of the Dharma is this honesty and this accountability that is freely offered. Forgiveness, not judgment.