I agree with you. If the talks had been about getting through failure, that it's OK and that this mess of conflicting emotions washing over you will pass, that

I agree with you. If the talks had been about getting through failure, that it's OK and that this mess of conflicting emotions washing over you will pass, that some friends will drop you, but other will be more accepting than you can imagine, that might have had value. But that would not have been fun. Some speakers did talk briefly and vaguely about how hard it was for them, but quickly, cheerfully moved onto "but here is how I turned it into a huge success. You see, I'm a success. I'm not really a failure." (Not like you.) I don't want to sound like I'm bashing the FailCon people. They all seemed nice, and I think their hearts really are in the right plaice. I just think that "celebrating failure" is wrong-headed. In any event, that FailCon would have been a very dangerous place to be for someone who had just failed and was struggling to get through it.