As scary as it can feel to be vulnerable, be seen, and risk getting hurt, the alternative doesn’t seem any better. In fact, it seems worse.

Sometimes I feel annoyed or angry at myself for feeling too much. By this I mean being “too sensitive” to what people I care about say, loving someone who hasn’t shown me the greatest care or feeling sad at the end of a relationship, experience or even a vacation.

Something I’ve come to realize in times like this is this: I am not a robot.

I am a human being with feelings and emotions. Groundbreaking, isn’t it?

The idea that this is something to be incredibly grateful for can be hard to grasp sometimes.

If I were a robot, I might not care if my relationship ended or that my best friend and I are not speaking. I might not care that I yelled at one of my students for no good reason.

However, it would also mean that I wouldn’t care when I felt that spark and excitement on our first date. I wouldn’t care that my best friend can read my mind and make me laugh until I cry, or that I might owe someone an apology.

Life without feelings would be a dreary, flat-lined waste of time.

As scary as it can feel to be vulnerable, be seen, and risk getting hurt, the alternative doesn’t seem any better. In fact, it seems worse.

Robotic life without feelings would essentially be a life without meaning. Yes, the worst might be missed, but so would the best—and everything in between.

I recently watched an interview with Dr. Brene Brown, who writes regularly about vulnerability. She reminds us that vulnerability is a practice.

It’s a practice that leads us toward feeling truly alive by feeling our emotions and acknowledging that hurt and joy are what make life meaningful and beautiful.

Practicing vulnerability encourages us all to be grateful—for all of it. The ups and downs of life are just that: living.

As Kahlil Gibran writes in The Prophet:

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.”

By breathing, trying, loving and living, we fulfill our purpose. And if that means sometimes I feel hurt and sad, so be it. Because it also means that I have the capacity to feel joy, love and compassion for others.

And that, is much more than any robot could ever hope for.

Sashah Rahemtulla is a young woman learning to flow in the ocean of life. She currently lives in South Korea, teaches English and is awaiting the next wave of change. Read more on her blog.

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Assistant Ed: Stephanie V./Ed: Kate Bartolotta