Vulnerability can be either precious or detestable, and we feel deeply divided as to which side we embrace, perhaps even from one moment to the next. Vulnerability is risky and can be raw, messy, and scary. But when it is protected, experiencing it becomes safer. Often, vulnerability, weakness, or even empathy, are demeaned. Many worship those who parade as fearless, those who promise protection only if we follow these leaders completely and unquestioningly. Vulnerability is essential for empathy. And empathy is the antidote to the cold detachment that is so toxic. Vulnerability can lead to owning all the parts inside us, which allows us to recognize the humanity in people we have been poised to judge and even hate. Vulnerability Protected is an exploration of the personal, relational, and political aspects of vulnerability, one of the most crucial resources in our world. We cannot possibly afford its disappearance.