|
The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from Lysis by Plato: person into a hero; (compare Symposium).
It is true that friendships are apt to be disappointing: either we expect
too much from them; or we are indolent and do not 'keep them in repair;' or
being admitted to intimacy with another, we see his faults too clearly and
lose our respect for him; and he loses his affection for us. Friendships
may be too violent; and they may be too sensitive. The egotism of one of
the parties may be too much for the other. The word of counsel or sympathy
has been uttered too obtrusively, at the wrong time, or in the wrong
manner; or the need of it has not been perceived until too late. 'Oh if he
had only told me' has been the silent thought of many a troubled soul. And
some things have to be indicated rather than spoken, because the very
Lysis |
