Public Radio provides me with many thought-provoking stories, statements and segments. My mind often begins whirring after being poked and prodded by a guest whose topic may not be of any initial interest to me, but, as the interview proceeds, I become drawn in - either by the show-host's questions and/or the guest's responses.
I don't even remember the topic of conversation that was being held this morning.....something to do with a mid-eastern country, I think. I busied myself with whatever I was doing at the time, listening rather half-heartedly and then - boom - (Thank you, Donald Trump.) a sentence stuck out as if it was radioactive. "No nation has friends - we only have interests." I am not even able to attribute the sentence to the person who uttered it so my apologies to the guest-expert. What would become a two-by-four moment for me was not applying the statement as it was intended but thinking about how it applied to people.
There are those among us upright humans who do not tend a garden for friends but rather shower water, seed, and fertilizer only on those who might be of future (or present) use; i.e. whomever suits their interests at the time. Readers may have been on the receiving end of someone who seeks out "interests" rather than cultivating friendship and, if you have, you may be able to grasp my tongue-in-cheekiness here.
The thought I would put forth is this: Why bother going through the charade of motions to purport to be a friend, or seek friendship, when it could be more efficient to simply announce the need for another person on a need-by-need basis. This way, all intentions would be up front, understood, and out in the open. No need for insincerity, facades, disingenuities, or hypocrisy. Better to announce, "Hey, I need you just for this....but not beyond.", rather than to imply interest.
People should have friends, not interests.
Ancora imparo
