Vulnerability is usually not considered a virtue these days. But William Shatner, who is known more for his machismo and bravado, admits that being vulnerable has been an important life lesson.
He received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Banff World Television Festival yesterday and his address was quite introspective.
"My life was a series of pools of loneliness [from] which every so often I was able to emerge with some companionship, and subdue that dreadful feeling that had dogged me for much of my life. And frequently even with the kudos I was receiving, I was not happy with the private part of my existence. But slowly I changed. The drill that life puts you through can make you or break you and fortunately I became more comfortable with relationships and slowly evolved in reaching out to friends and family.”
Shatner suggested that he is doing well now, but that life has been a struggle. “My lifetime achievement award in my opinion is really the slow acquisition of the ability to be vulnerable and needy and to be able to accept love as well as give.”
William Shatner is best known for his role as Captain James Kirk on Star Trek and more recently in The Practice and Boston Legal.
Another post on vulnerability looks at several other meaningful quotes including one by Leo Buscaglia,
"The most human thing we have to do in life is to learn to speak our honest convictions and feelings and live with the consequences. This is the first requirement of love, and it makes us vulnerable to other people who may ridicule us. But our vulnerability is the only thing we can give to other people."
