Weakness is the inability to cope with adverse circumstances. It is complaining about pain from a wisdom tooth operation. Weakness is the man who is embarrassed by his wife’s greater financial success. It is a balloon that pops from the gentle prick of a needle, and it is the feeble child who cannot lift five pounds of weight. Weakness is the cancer patient who loses hope and convinces herself that she has reached her end. Weakness is giving up. It is the raising of a white flag on the battlefield in the midst of great carnage. Weakness is submission; it is passivity and apathy. It is failing to rock the vote. Weakness is crying oneself to sleep. It is the puppy that whines mournfully when it is left behind, excluded from a trip to the grocery store. Weakness is vulnerability. It is having an enemy who knows how to push one’s buttons. It is dwelling on unfortunate events, and it is letting oneself fall into depression. If a person is like a rope, weakness is like fraying. For if a rope must deal with more wear than it can handle, its fibers will come loose, and the rope may unravel.