We can begin to open our hearts to others when we have no hope of getting anything back. We just do it for its own sake.
Never give up on yourself. Then you will never give up on others.
We practice to liberate ourselves from a burden.
Openness doesn’t come from resisting our fears but rather from getting to know them well.
Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.
As for our inner level of obstacle, perhaps the only enemy we have is that we don't like the way reality is now and therefore wish it would go away fast. But what we need to acknowledge is that nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.