And so it goes that the deepest wounds, the most painful slander, the cruelest of brutality can only be done by a friend to a friend. The betrayer’s kiss was not from some stranger, but from someone close and intimate. Who knows what mortal blow to deliver and where to deliver it, than a friend considered closer than a brother?
Therefore, is the notion of having no friends at all, of avoiding being close to others, a better alternative? Surely the thought of going through life unscathed, unwounded, and hermitically sealed deserve some serious consideration, at the very least. Think of the gore and the trauma the entanglements of cultivating meaningful relationships can bring. If we go about prophylactically separate one from another, doesn’t this surely lead to a more peaceful, serene life, away from distraction, away from the noxious, messy and often harrowing experiences of relational stress? Now, isn’t that an attractive option indeed?
That might be true. The question is, is this in any way the best way to live?
Comments
all flowers and pastels and bunny rabbits and fluffy things.
ewww.
Are you talking from a true-to-life experience? Welcome to the club! Humanity I love, it's people I hate ... I guess obnoxious people are put here on earth by God so we can learn how to love ... and that's a lifelong lesson.
Loved the article How to Speak and Write Postmodern. Tawa ako nang tawa. How're your students? Anyone brilliant? Me, I'm just relaxing before 2nd sem starts.
Hang in there!
Abbie
I might not be able to prove it, but I think human beings are relational. If it is true that we are made after God's own image (who himself is relational -- for why would he create us in the first place if he is not relational; nor die for us so that we can have a relationship with him...), then it would follow that we got the 'relational' image from him.
Sometimes, I think that I am protecting my son (Calvin, 10 months) too much from pain, wound, blood, and gore (of course!). But come to think of it, he might never learn to walk by himself if I am always there to protect him from a prospective "bukol". The bukols he get (which will be gone by the end of the day anyway) will teach him to respect gravity and solid forms.
I think the same is true with interpersonal relationship. We may never learn to relate if we shy away from the pain it may bring.
On the positive note: I have heard that scar tissues are much stronger than the original tissue it replaced. Chew on that for a while.
Blessings!