Just to show people are people
Found this on a message board today:
It is a joyful thing indeed to hold intimate converse with a man after one’s own heart, chatting without reserve about things of interest or the fleeting topics of the world; but such, alas, are few and far between. Not that one desires a companion who will sit opposite and never utter a word in contradiction - one might as well be alone. Far better in hours of loneliness the company of one who, while he will listen with respect to your views, will disagree a little, and argue, saying “ Yes, that is so, but...,” or “For this reason such and such is the case.”
And yet, with those who are not of the same way of thinking or are contentious, a man can only discuss things of passing interest, for the truth is that there must not be any wide gulf between bosom friends.
- Yoshida Kenko (1283-1350), Tsurezure-Gusa (1340)
Same basic stuff I've been saying on this blog, though this guy's a lot more eloquent than I am. Just goes to show, that people are still mostly the same, despite vast cultural gaps. :)
It is a joyful thing indeed to hold intimate converse with a man after one’s own heart, chatting without reserve about things of interest or the fleeting topics of the world; but such, alas, are few and far between. Not that one desires a companion who will sit opposite and never utter a word in contradiction - one might as well be alone. Far better in hours of loneliness the company of one who, while he will listen with respect to your views, will disagree a little, and argue, saying “ Yes, that is so, but...,” or “For this reason such and such is the case.”
And yet, with those who are not of the same way of thinking or are contentious, a man can only discuss things of passing interest, for the truth is that there must not be any wide gulf between bosom friends.
- Yoshida Kenko (1283-1350), Tsurezure-Gusa (1340)
Same basic stuff I've been saying on this blog, though this guy's a lot more eloquent than I am. Just goes to show, that people are still mostly the same, despite vast cultural gaps. :)