Sochasoh-khuh

n. The hidden vulnerability of others. There's an optical illusion: the more distant you are from people, the more invulnerable they appear. You see yourself with failures as clear as successes. But you see others only the side they want you to see, like a statue on a pedestal.

At first glance, they've got everything figured out. Their life seems complete. But it's a trick of perspective—you can't see the cracks from far away. You have no way of knowing how insecure their footing might be. How many years went into shaping their persona.

Each of us is a work in progress; we all have weaknesses. Why does it feel surprising when we catch vulnerability in others? Why do we keep falling for the trick, when each of us spends so much time trying to get away with it ourselves?

Maybe our vulnerability is what draws us together. It gives us a primal need only a friend can satisfy—someone you trust enough to be yourself with. Nothing is set in stone.