Meaning of "fragile thread that **binds us together**" Douglas Daft's New Year's Address 2000 Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that **binds us together**. Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn to be brave. Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; ... - I'm confused about the meaning of "fragile thread that binds us together"here, cause for me it seems to be interpreted in two different ways. First, fragile thread being used in a positive sense, We can unite(bind us together) because of the fragility in us, that each and every one of us is not perfect. Second, fragile being used in a negative sense, that fragility and fear is what prevents/stops(bind) us from being able to get ahead and move forward. I'm not sure which is the correct interpretation, and what makes one more persuasive(correct) interpretation than the other one??? At first the first interpretation seems better since I thought "bind ~ *together*" (not just "bind"), has a connotation of something positive, but I'm not sure about this anymore. Or Is it just the context that helps to interpret this passage?