"No man is an island unto himself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main." -John Donne Life wouldn't be so interesting if things didn't get difficult every once in a while, I think. (more like every single day) How to deal with people is probably one of the most difficult things. I'm realizing that little else matters in life than how we learn to deal with people. I've been discussing with some friends recently about family relationships. Why is it that it can be so hard to get along with family? The ones that matter to us the most, the ones that whose lives are intimately intertwined with ours, why is patience is far shorter with them than with friends or even strangers? My coworker John has a theory, based on experience, about tolerances. He says that with each person in our lives, we have a tolerance meter for that person. Kinda like hit points in an RPG. The more time we spend with that person, the further down the meter goes, until we have to spend some time apart to recharge the meter. Spending too much time with specific people may also result in irreversible damage to the meter and to the relationship. I think that my own experience validates John's theory, but its such a depressing perspective on interpersonal relationships. I think that people inherently crave and need relationships. It's how we were created. I'm realizing all the time that the sooner I resolve to embrace the people around me, not just bear with them, the better off they and I will both be. What's the appeal of the internet anyways? What is the attraction of message forums, asian avenue, aol, etc.? (generalization-->) These forms of communication (somewhat) satisfy our need for intimacy while drawing up a barrier where our delicate emotions, ego, and fragile identity can be easily protected or withdrawn. From the day we're born, we begin to experience pain, and most of the time, it comes from the people around us. We deal with it by retracting certain vulnerable pieces into a protected chamber, leaving the hardened outer shell. We develop rules on who we let into the vulnerable place, if anyone, and on what terms. OK, that's enough gross generalization, speculation, and psycho-analysis from this simpleton. I wish I had something more interesting to share. I'll try to think of something better tomorrow. See ya.