When you think of Epicurus, you think above all of friendship (if you are new to him, be assured that friendship was important to him).
People refer to “my friend” when they they really, in truth, mean “my acquaintance”. One of the most startling things about the modern world is the growing self-absorption. Two people, calling each other “friend”, talking past each other, chattering on about their own lives and asking little or nothing about the life and goings-on of their “friends”. You can’t call friendship endless twitters and emails about oneself. Friendship, if it means anything, means caring and attentive conversation, in equal measure, about the concerns, joys and sorrows of your interlocutor. If you really care about him or her, can restrain yourself from talking only about yourself, and you are true equals, then friendship can be genuine and rewarding. Some of the angst of the modern world is caused by the frustration brought on by one-sided “friendship”.
“Friendship, if it means anything, means caring and attentive conversation, in equal measure, about the concerns, joys and sorrows of your interlocutor.”
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Beautifully phrased. “Caring, attentive conversation” and it ranks at the top of life’s pleasures, I think.
What makes it rare in today’s over-heated world, it seems to me, is not only the rampant plague of narcissism but also the absolutely basic fact: it takes time. To confuse “acquaintance” with “friend” will certainly waste a lot of valuable time.
I’ve been following Twitter a lot recently, figured out a little of its main architecture. I find it very good for news, certainly better than the MSM. The trick is quickly to “unfollow” the narcissists. One of its advantages is quick access to a broad range of subjects, especially science– or anything else you choose. The individual “tweets” are brief but they usually link to the entire original source which you can access immediately.