JORGE RODRIGUES SIMAO

We all have to deal with them on a daily basis: weird and difficult people. At times of frustration and disappointment with these characters, a friend of mine mutters, "Human beings, what a stupid concept!" Mark Twain must have felt the same when he wrote, "If man had created man he would be ashamed of his performance." Like my friend, you probably sometimes wish that other human beings especially those with whom you live and work - were as logical, trustworthy, intelligent, kind, hard-working, fun-loving, and practical as you.

Hay un tiempo cuando los padres quedan huérfanos de sus hijos. Es que los niños crecen independientes de nosotros, como árboles murmurantes y pájaros imprudentes. Crecen sin pedir permiso a la vida. Crecen con una estridencia alegre y, a veces, con alardeada arrogancia.Pero no crecen todos los días, de igual manera, crecen de repente. Un día se sientan cerca de ti en la terraza y te dicen una frase con tal naturalidad que sientes que no puedes más ponerle pañales. ¿Dónde quedaron la placita de jugar en la arena, las fiestitas de cumpleaños con payasos  y los juguetes preferidos?

Laura Pausini & Lara Fabian - La Solitudine (Live)

Throughout the ages many accomplished individuals have sung the praises of being alone. Henry David Thoreau, for instance, boasted, "I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude." This leads into the all-important question: Can you enjoy spending a lot of time alone? If you can't, it's likely a sign that you aren't able to discover quality in your own character.

There aren't many things on this planet that are more precious that true friends. It was the Greek writer Euripides who said, "One loyal friend is worth 10,000 relatives." Fortunately, we get to choose our friends as opposed to relatives, who are forced upon us. When choosing new friends, however, much care should be taken. The key to optimizing happiness is to cultivate quality friendships with a few happy and interesting individuals. Quality is more important than quantity. In this regard, we can rephrase the above words of Euripides to "One true friend is worth more than 10,000 superficial ones."