This freezing weekend, I read this interview to Le Breton (French sociologist and anthropologist) - Le BRETON
Although I don't agree with several points, his swift thoughts on friendship are insightful. If you speak Spanish, I would highly recommend that you read it and I would love to know your opinion.
Among other things, Le Breton implies that once we look closely, we come to realize that we have very few good friends. How true. He also talks about a "bodily experience" and "real encounters" as a vital part of genuine and lasting contact.
This current social networking thing is wonderful but it can sometimes make us think that we have hundreds of friends. Truth is, we all know that good friends are few, and that "when you see the number 300 on your friends list, that's just people" as he puts it. In my opinion, these are all people likely to become friends, why not? with time, conversations, moments... one never knows.
I also caught on TV what may seem like a stupid movie (which I thought was quite good!) called "Marley and I", that talks mostly about a dog, but it does have some interesting points, which I think apply to friendship. At the end of the movie, they mention what makes a dog such a good friend:
He does not care if you are young or old
He does not care if you are rich or poor
He does not care if you are having a good day or bad
He always loves you, no matter what
All these points apply to a person-friend too, right? and the good moments you've shared and will continue to share... and that he or she listens when you need to be heard...
Lastly, some time ago, I saw someone interview a successful entrepreneur from Buenos Aires living in Tokyo:
Q. "What do you miss most from Argentina?"
A. "My friends. Argentina is the only place in the world where you can call a friend at 4:00am cause you broke up with your girlfriend and want to kill yourself, and he'll come and stop you."
I would have to agree. I've been lucky to live in several countries, and I have yet to find people with such a profound sense of friendship as we do here.
HAPPY DAY, FRIENDS!
