Hiding Weakness

I try to pay attention in church, but I don't always succeed.  This last week, I was trying to listen to a very long, very rambling testimony and failing, and my mind wandered to FDR. I'm sure there was some sort of thing that triggered this thought, but I don't, for the life of me, have any idea what it was.

Did you know that Franklin Delano Roosevelt couldn't walk, but the majority of the country was not aware of that?  He would have people bring him to the podium before the press arrived, stand him there with his leg braces, and then bodily hold himself up to the podium for the duration with his arms?  He put a plank on the side of the president's desk so that he could hide the fact that he was in a wheelchair. 

He didn't want to appear weak. 

Why?  Why do we hide weakness?  I mean, I know it's an evolution thing.  But, why now?  Why do we do this?

I don't know that I have a really strong and insightful response to this, but I think it's time we stopped being Roosevelts.  Let's share our needs with others. Let's rely on others.  After all, I think that's what society is for. 

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